Love Don't Cost a Thing
by Doodlelolly0910
Summary: Emma thought she was living her happily ever after until she wasn't. Now Neal is living his with someone else & Emma has a plus one option to the wedding from hell but noone to fill the space. Enter Killian Jones, handsome male escort & answer to Emma's problems. She hires him for the wedding because he's the safe choice. The temporary choice. Falling in love wasn't on the invoice.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hello! I come bearing new fic! So this was supposed to be a oneshot. I wrote it as a oneshot. The fic clearly had other ideas and it is now an MC lol. So here we are! Super huge ginormous thank you to superchocovian who was just a the most fantastic beta and a wonderfully patient person. She thought she was signing up to beta a oneshot and she got me instead haha. And another super huge thank you to my wondertwin artistic-writer who has made the most AMAZING picset for this fic that I could have ever wanted. It is seriously fantastic and I nearly squealed her ear off about it. I honestly love it so so so much. And she was an awesome second set of eyes on this project and frequent calmer of my anxieties and just an overall wonderful, lovely person. Thank you in advance for reading this fic! I hope you love it as much as I do. It's been my pet project for quite a while now and I'm so excited to share it with y'all. Watch for updates every Friday, and you can yell at me on Tumblr if you want doodlelolly0910

Away we go!

 **Chapter 1**

Ten months.

Ten measly fucking months is all it took for Neal Cassidy to send out _wedding invitations_ after he tossed Emma aside like yesterday's newspaper. Of course it wasn't too much of an asshole move to send an invitation to the mother of your child when you'd found a new love, especially if said child was going to be in the wedding. Was it? Her fury at the envelope grew as she decided _yes it was an asshole move_ and she took another generous drink from the glass in front of her.

It still stung, even three months later, as she sat drowning herself in her sorrows at the bar on what would have been _their_ ten year anniversary. To add insult to injury, the one he'd sent to her was addressed to _Miss Emma Swan and Guest,_ written on the front in elegant gold script. She scoffed and tossed back her drink, fingering the edge of the envelope absent mindedly.

 _Miss Emma Swan and Guest_.

Neal knew. He fucking _knew_ she didn't have anybody. He _knew_ how hard it was for her to let people in. He sent her the invitation just to rub it in her face. Just another message that she'd never find happiness. She conjured an image of his smug smile in her mind's eye and felt the sudden urge to find him and slap it off his face. She signalled to the bartender for another drink instead of doing something stupid, like driving to New York City from the Boston hotel bar she sat in and punching her ex. Repeatedly.

She sipped slowly this time at the vodka cranberry in her hand, newly delivered by the petite blonde behind the counter. In reality, she wanted to be slamming back shots of whiskey, but self preservation told her that advertising her heartbreak in such a way would be ill advised. So she sipped and turned the envelope over in her unoccupied hand again and again, looking at its broken seal and debating whether or not to open it again for what felt like the millionth time since she'd gotten it those short few months ago.

She couldn't believe this was happening. Couldn't believe he would have the solid fucking steel balls he must have upgraded to since he left her to send her this after all they'd been through. She had been with him for nine _years_ , since she was seventeen and naïve, a runaway foster kid with no family, no friends, and no place to go, all the while planning their future together as she thought he had been. They'd met when she tried to steal a car that he'd already stolen, and they kept up the Bonnie and Clyde act to survive. It stung the first time she had asked why he hadn't proposed and he told her neither of them were ready for that. They'd only been together a year and they were still having fun. At least she wasn't alone.

So Emma carried on, and didn't ask questions. They were happy. Not long after that, she'd gotten pregnant. Neal had wanted her to get an abortion, but Emma couldn't do it. She was eighteen, he was twenty four, and she followed his lead in most things, but she just couldn't bring herself to do that. They'd settled on adoption. They got real jobs, a real apartment, and everything was okay for awhile. But once Emma heard the strong cries as _her son_ was freed from her womb and she laid eyes on him for the first time, she couldn't give him up either. She and Neal had fought about it. He'd even left for three whole weeks when she wouldn't relent. But he came back, saying he didn't want to be like his father and walk out on his son. Emma quashed the urge to remind him he'd already done that and welcomed him back with open arms. She knew what it was like to grow up without parents; she didn't want the same for her child. He still didn't want to marry her, citing the need to work on their relationship and being parents. She accepted that. At least she wasn't alone.

The next few years seemed to fly by as Emma threw herself into her little family. Henry wanted for nothing, and Neal even ended up being a really good dad. But they fought a lot. Bills piled up and Emma worked two jobs while Neal struggled to hold down one most of the time. He would work whenever a job offer came to him, but he never really looked for one. And they never seemed to last long. Emma made enough as an office clerk for a private investigator by day and a waitress by night to keep them afloat. Around that time, Robert Gold, Neal's estranged father, had come back into Neal's life and wanted a relationship with him and his grandson. Neal rejected his requests, and Emma always tried to support him, whichever way he wanted to go with it. Emma asked one night that had been mostly calm and normal if he wanted to get married. He dismissed the idea easily, telling her he wanted to be more stable in a career, that way they could afford the ring and wedding they deserved. Emma told him it didn't matter to her, but dropped the subject. They could wait to get married. At least she wasn't alone.

In the end, one of Neal's biggest complaints was that she never had time for him (or Henry, as he had callously tossed in her face a time or two during some of their more heated spats) and he needed _more_ from a relationship. Ironically, he started seeing his father regularly and looking for work more frequently around this time as well, stretching his own time at home thin. Nonetheless, she tried harder, losing contact with her friends and even her foster brother David, that she'd reconnected with when Henry was born, in favor of making more time for her boyfriend and son. It never seemed to be enough. Tamara Herr had time for Neal though. The caramel skinned beauty lived right across the street from their apartment building and was decidedly everything Emma was not. So, when Emma caught them together in _their bed_ after coming home early one day to celebrate her promotion, all she could do was laugh as her heart simultaneously closed up tight and shattered into a thousand pieces. And now _they_ were getting married. Neal got the girl of his dreams that it was clear Emma wasn't and a relationship with his father that came with his very own trust fund. And she was alone.

"Bad night?"

Emma jumped at the sound of a British baritone voice coming suddenly from behind her. Her face pinched in a scowl and she turned to make sure whoever this interloper was knew she wasn't in the mood for company. She looked up as a tall, well built frame placed itself in the seat next to her. Emma was almost shocked off her stool when her gaze meet his. She wasn't expecting someone so... well, _gorgeous_ , if she was being honest. Dark chocolate hair fell just over his forehead, dusting his quirked brows. Bright ocean blue eyes watched her with mild amusement, studying her as she was him. His pink, plush lips were framed by dark, neatly trimmed facial hair that was interspersed with auburn whiskers here and there that she almost would have missed if the light hadn't caught it just right. There was a single onyx stone in his right ear that matched his cufflinks on the lighter gray dress shirt that he wore under a steel grey suit. The shirt had several buttons undone, exposing his chest and the thick smattering of umber hair across it. Realizing she'd probably been staring too long, she reset her mouth into a hard line and tilted her head back away from him.

"It has been a pretty shitty night. That's usually how one finds themselves drinking at a bar near eleven o'clock alone," she replied stiffly, hoping her tone and words would prevent him from pursuing whatever this interaction was between them. It seemed, though, that the man only took it as an invitation.

"I could tell. If you stared at that envelope any harder, it may burst into flames, love," he said with a chuckle. Emma's scowl deepened.

" _Not_ your love," she huffed. "Not anyone's love," she added before she could stop herself. Her cheeks flushed at the admission and she hid her face in her drink, letting her golden hair fall in front of it as she dipped her head she'd had enough to drink. To her surprise, the man reached out and tucked a good portion of her tresses behind her ear so he could look at her face. He continued to amaze her when she saw no pity in his expression, just a glimmer of understanding.

"I can't imagine anyone not wanting to love someone as beautiful as you," he murmured. Emma wrinkled her nose at the over the top declaration and he cracked a grin in response. "Too much?"

"That was epically cheesy. Does that line really work on anyone?" She took another sip from her glass and felt her eyebrows climb her forehead.

"It wasn't a line at all, love. But I have plenty of those as well, if you'd like to hear." He nodded towards her, almost begging her to pick up the gauntlet he'd thrown. She remained silent, not wanting to further encourage this conversation, but feeling strangely uplifted by his presence. So he continued on. "Here, how much would you say a polar bear weighs?" Emma gave him a funny look, contemplating where he might be going with this.

"I'm not sure, like a thousand, two thousand pounds?" she guessed. He looked positively gleeful that she'd played along.

"So you might say then... enough to break the ice? Killian Jones, at your service." He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. Emma rolled her eyes and groaned, drawing her hand back but still feeling the sear of his lips just below her knuckles.

"I can't believe I just walked right into that one." She shook her head with a laugh.

"It's a gift of mine, leading women places they don't expect to go," he said, his voice low and sultry, and _oh, man_ , he was definitely flirting with her. "Would you like to go somewhere else unexpected?" He swiped his tongue over his lower lip, his darkened gaze holding hers.

"Sorry, pal. You just aren't my type," she lied, her breath catching in her chest as she flitted her eyes back to the bar and her drink. Truth was, she was far more attracted to him than she'd been to... well, anyone really. More attracted to him than she had been to Neal, that was for sure.

"Darling, for the right price, I'm anyone's type," he replied, his words hanging heavily in the air between them.

Emma's eyes widened at the implication, snapping back to his face, and Killian's own blue orbs smoldered into her gaze, waiting for her reaction. They stared at one another in silent challenge, willing the other to expand on the proverbial elephant that now sat quite noticeably in the room. Curiosity won out and Emma licked her lips before responding, flushing slightly when the handsome man tracked the movement with his eyes.

"Are you telling me you're a _hooker_?" She hissed under her breath, darting her eyes around the room as if someone might be listening, and Killian grinned at her.

"Please, love. 'Hooker' sounds so crass. Not to mention, _illegal_." His grin grew larger as she sighed in frustration.

"Well isn't this just my damn luck. Sitting alone, wallowing over my ex-boyfriend's happiness wasn't enough, I suppose. Now the one guy who even talks to me is only here to make a quick buck." She scoffed and shoved the envelope violently into her clutch purse before digging out some cash to leave for her drinks. His careful eyes watched her flustered movements before he reached out to loosely grip her wrist. She froze, unsure of whether or not she should pull away. He stroked the pad of his thumb over the small flower tattoo nestled at the base of her palm, prompting her to look up at him again. She did, ignoring the electric sparks shooting up her arm at the contact.

"For what it's worth, love, I would have approached you whether I was on the clock or not." He brought her hand up and placed a soft kiss to the place his thumb had just been smoothing, never breaking eye contact, causing her breath to hitch again involuntarily. She cursed herself mentally for acting like a hormonal mess.

"How many girls has that bullshit worked on today? Bet your bank account is padded with the results of pick up lines like that," she spat, snatching her hand back from his gentle grip and standing abruptly. She was more embarrassed than she could recall feeling in recent memory and she hated it. Hated how he'd gotten under her skin so quickly.

Killian seemed to accept her retreat gracefully and smiled softly at her. He stood as well and reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket, pulling free a small black card. Boldly, he reached down and slipped it into the gap of her clutch, not even bothering to try to hand it to her, knowing she wouldn't take it.

"Think what you'd like, Swan, but that was also not a line. That's the absolute truth. And should you change your mind about some company, well, you have my card."

Emma stood in shock. She could feel her face reddening further. Then the bastard winked and smoothly turned, walking away to find his next companion. And _that_ is when it hit her that he'd used her last name.

It had to be a coincidence, or she must have misheard him, because why the hell, _how_ the hell, would he have known her name?

Emma's cheeks were still flaming as she stormed out to her car. She wasted little time in jamming her keys into the ignition, making the little yellow Volkswagen rumble to life and peel out of the parking lot in haste.

 _How dare he_. Men like Killian Jones were the absolute worst, preying on women who were vulnerable for their own gain. The thought that he'd recognized _her_ as vulnerable made her stomach turn. She should have never let her guard down so low. She hadn't even been aware that she'd done it. _How often did she have her weaknesses on display?_ she mused as she waited at a red stoplight.

She slammed her open palm into the steering wheel. In the five minutes she spent in Jones's company, he'd managed to peel back her layers and reach her in a way that she hadn't been reached in years. If she didn't know any better, she may have even admitted that she felt a connection to Killian Jones. Damn him. It was all an act, she reminded herself. He was skilled in the art of flirtation, ready to seduce and take advantage of every sad sob story that would make him a few bucks.

A loud honk from behind her jerked her from her thoughts and she realized the light was green. Putting her foot on the gas, all she was focused on was getting home. No more thoughts of handsome male hookers-or shitty exes, for that matter.

Except that was all she could think about as she parked in her designated space and made her way into the apartment building. She kept a brisk pace as if she could physically outrun her train of thought. She was glad that Henry was staying with Neal this week, not expected back until the day after tomorrow. She loved her kid, but he was too damn smart for an eight year old. He would have picked up on her distressed state in no time.

She didn't bother with picking up the house that night, only dropping her purse on the table in the entryway, stripping away her shoes and clothes as she made her way to the room and slipping into an oversized t-shirt and pajama pants for bed. As she slipped under the covers and settled on her pillow, the last thought that ran through her mind before sleep consumed her was of Killian Jones.

The next morning was no better. She scowled at herself for waking up with Killian's blue eyes dancing through her head and decided she needed a distraction. Usually, she and Henry would spend their Saturdays in a park or a library, or the occasional museum, but he wasn't here and she didn't fancy doing any of that alone. She could call her sister-in-law, Mary Margaret, or her friends Elsa or Ruby, but all three of them knew her well enough to know when she was hiding something and she was still embarrassed just enough by her run in with a male escort and her subsequent escape to decide against putting herself through the ringer. Mary Margaret would be appalled and tell everyone (she was horrible at keeping secrets), Elsa would be sympathetic to the point of pity (which she was _not_ ready for), and Ruby would either make fun of the whole situation or try to find him herself (based on how much of a description she could get out of Emma). _No thank you_ to all of those scenarios.

She padded barefoot into her kitchen, grabbing a mug and leaning against the counter to wait for her coffee pot to finish percolating, silently thanking the heavens that she remembered to set it before she went out last night. She looked around the apartment she shared with her son and sighed. It was a good sized apartment, much better than where she'd started with Henry. Her eventual licensing as a private investigator afforded her a much better lifestyle for her and her son. One that could have included Neal. She'd actually been on her way home to share her license confirmation when she'd caught him with _her_. And the rest was history.

The coffee pot gurgled its last drops into the pot and Emma happily made herself a cup. Maybe she should've RSVP'd that she'd be coming alone. It would've been much easier, but she was so mad to see that plus one included on her card that she'd gotten out the Jack Daniels and the whiskey checked the box for her. It seemed like a good idea at the time. And it wasn't like she hadn't moved on from Neal; on the contrary, _she had_ , she just hadn't moved on with someone else just yet.

Sipping at her cup, her mind automatically went to her phone. She usually skimmed news headlines and went through her email with her morning coffee, but she didn't have it with her and she didn't remember seeing it on her nightstand. She let out a groan when she remembered that she'd left it in her purse. Grumbling, she pushed herself away from the counter and made her way to the entryway, picking up her purse with one hand and setting her mug down with the other. She shuffled through the contents and pulled her phone free, but as she did, a small, black square fluttered to the floor. She bent down to retrieve it, frowning and trying to remember where it came from or what it was. She flipped it over to read it and her face immediately flushed, though she wasn't sure if it was out of embarrassment or something else.

 _ **KILLIAN JONES  
PERSONAL ENTERTAINMENT  
617-555-9870**_

Emma snorted. 'Personal entertainment' indeed. She didn't even know why he slipped her his card. She'd never paid for sex and she wasn't about to start. She was lonely, not desperate. She tucked the card against her phone for the moment and went back to her clutch for her charger. Her fingers bumped against the thick envelope inside as she searched and she scowled at it. And then a lightbulb went off in her head. She thought of the little nest egg she'd put aside for a rainy day as her mind began to hatch a plan. Maybe she was a _little_ desperate.

"This is stupid, this is stupid, this is stupid..." she muttered, grabbing her phone and heading to the couch, flicking the edge of the business card with her finger. She plugged her phone in and sat down, letting a large sigh escape her, and punched in the numbers on the card.

She fiddled with the ties on her sleep pants while the phone rang. Once. Twice. Three times. Just as she was about to hang up, a sultry English voice came on the line.

"Hello?"

Emma's throat closed up immediately and her mouth felt like she'd poured a shaker of salt into it. Her heart pounded in her chest and every word in the English language fled her frazzled mind.

"Hello?" he said again and Emma jumped as she realized she should be saying something back.

"Uh, hi." _Smooth, Emma._

"Hello, love. Can I help you?" He sounded amused and that incensed her.

"Yes. No. Maybe. Dammit, this isn't how this was supposed to go," she rambled. "Look, you gave me your card last night, and I'm calling."

"I gave quite a few women my card last night. Refresh my memory a bit, love." He didn't sound the least bit confused and Emma was positive he was messing with her now. She clenched her jaw.

"Well, aren't you a regular Romeo." She was sure her scowl could be heard through the phone. He laughed out loud, warm and rich, the sound crackling through the phone and warming her to her toes.

"Why don't we start with a name?" he prompted, mirth now flowing freely through his warm voice. She sighed.

"It's Emma. Er, Swan. From the bar last night." She felt her grip tighten on her lap. He was silent for a beat and she began to rethink if he actually _did_ know it was her before the reveal.

"I was hoping it was you." His voice had dropped an octave and something twisted in her lower belly at the sound.

 _Stop it, Emma._

"Yeah, well, it's me. It's kinda weird that you know my name, though. Or, y'know, that you remember me at all," she mumbled, tugging at her shirt nervously.

"As if I could forget the most beautiful woman I've spoken to in recent memory," he purred and Emma wrinkled her nose at the flirtation, but he continued on. "And your name was easy enough to discern since you were waving it around on that envelope you had with you."

"Oh. Well, I guess that makes sense," she said, embarrassed. An awkward silence fell over the line.

"As much as I'm thrilled to hear your lovely voice, Swan, I'm assuming you didn't just call for a chat?" The amusement in his voice was back and Emma felt her blush deepen, thankful for the barrier the phone provided.

"Uh, yeah. I was actually calling because, well, I'm looking to procure some of your, uh, _services_ -"

" _Really_ , Swan?" The surprised delight in his tone made her frown. She wasn't a conquest.

"Not like _that_. What I meant to say was I have sort of a proposition for you." Her voice was all business and she found herself straightening her shoulders in resolve, though she knew he couldn't see her.

"Color me intrigued, love. What sort of proposition?" he asked and Emma fidgeted nervously.

"Can we meet to discuss it? Lunch, maybe? My treat of course, I know you're," she cleared her throat, "on the clock, or whatever."

Killian chuckled low on the other end of the line.

"Alright, darling, where and when?" he asked.

"There's a diner near downtown, Granny's. Do you know it?" She grimaced at the thought of bringing him there. Ruby Lucas, her best friend, ran the place with her grandmother. She'd be ruthless with questions upon seeing her with a man, but she wanted to be somewhere that was familiar in case things went wrong.

"I know it. Never been inside, but I've heard good things," he replied.

"Can you meet me in an hour?" she asked, looking at the time. It was already approaching noon.

"Aye, I'm free until this evening. I'll see you there, Swan," he confirmed and Emma hung up the phone as soon as he did, getting up and heading into her bedroom. What did one wear when they were potentially making the dumbest decision ever?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Time for chapter 2! I'm so blown away by the response to chapter one and I cannot thank you all enough for all your love for this fic! I hope chapter 2 continues to impress! Thank you thank you to superchocovian who was an AWESOME beta and overwhelmingly patient with this whole process that turned out like 10x what it was intended to be, and also CHECK OUT THIS ART artistic-writer MADE! Brand new art for a brand new chapter and it is AMAZING! I absolutely screeched when I saw it and I am unashamed lol. Last but not least, thank you x100000000 to any person who liked, reblogged, gave kudos, reviewed, or even read a single word of this fic. You guys are the best :D Away we go!

 **Chapter** **2**

 _What did one wear when they were potentially making the dumbest decision ever?_

Turned out the answer to that question was a pair of skinny jeans, knee high leather boots, a cream colored tank under an unbuttoned red tartan shirt, all topped off by her long golden hair swept up in a ponytail. She almost grabbed her red leather jacket off its hook out of habit and comfort, but it was June and she didn't fancy heat stroke. Simple choice of outfit, but not leading. Not something she would pick for a date. But for a casual business meeting, she was sure it was fine. _God_ , she was putting too much thought into this.

She shouldn't have been surprised that he showed up first. All the thought put into her outfit had her speed walking through the door of the diner just over the hour mark. He sat with his hands clasped in front of him, staring out the window just watching the world walk by, looking almost out of place in the homey diner. He was wearing a muted purple button down shirt under a black leather vest, the shirt unbuttoned far enough to expose his collarbones and the edge of his thick chest hair, and the sleeves rolled up enough to see a few tattoos on his forearms. Silver rings adorned the two middle fingers on his right hand and one on each his thumb, forefinger, and pinky of the left that caught the light as he rolled and flexed his fingers around each other. He paused his fidgeting to take a drink from the mug sitting in front of him, and that's when he caught her eye. His gaze turned from passive to appreciative as he swept over her form and he moved to stand as she walked towards him with a confidence she wasn't sure she felt.

"Swan," he greeted, reaching for her hand with a barely contained grin. She put her hand in his and smiled wryly back at him.

"Jones," she returned lightly and retrieved her hand from the heat of his grasp as quickly as she could without seeming rude. It bothered her how he could make her stomach flip at the slightest touch. She was a 27 year old woman, not a schoolgirl with a crush, for heaven's sake.

"Wasn't sure you were still coming, love," he said with a forced indifference she picked up on immediately. She looked at him curiously and he held her gaze as they both took their seats across from one another. In front of her sat a glass of iced tea and a glass of water with a slice of lemon on the rim.

"I was running a little late. Apparently I forgot to do laundry this week," she lied a little lamely. Killian's eyes sparked at the comment and the corner of his mouth twitched up a bit.

"Dressing to impress, then, Swan? I daresay that little red number you had on last night made quite the impression, love. But I can see myself getting behind the layered look as well." He ran his tongue over his teeth enticingly, quirking one dark brow up his forehead. She rolled her eyes.

"Okay, put it back in your pants, champ. I already told you, I'm not looking for _that_ ," she insisted.

"Ah, yes, the mysterious _proposition_." He chuckled, a deep and warm sound that rumbled up from his chest, and took another drink from the mug in front of him. His eyes never moved from her as he sipped. It was more than a little unnerving.

"Well you don't have to make it sound so sinister," she replied, looking down to the table and realizing the iced tea and water were for her. "Wait, did you order for me?"

"Ah, just the drinks," he said, reaching up to scratch behind his ear in a way that Emma couldn't help but find endearing. "I wasn't sure what you'd like, and I'd ordered a tea for myself, so I got you a couple of options. Though I'm not sure how you Americans can classify that diabetes inducing iced abomination 'tea', but it seems to be popular here."

"Thank you," she murmured with a small, genuine smile, taking a sip of the sweet tea. He nodded in response. "So," she began, scooting the glass back on the tabletop, "I'm sure you may get this a lot, but I'd like to hire you for an event."

"An event," he repeated curiously and Emma nodded.

"My ex boyfriend is getting married. I'd like to hire you to be my date." She couldn't look at him and she took a long drink from her tea.

"You want to hire me to be your date," he parroted again and Emma looked up, annoyed.

"Are you just going to repeat everything I'm saying?" she snapped.

"Sorry, love, sorry. I'm just having a hard time believing you haven't been able to get a date on your own. And it is a little outside the realm of what my usual services cover," he replied, folding his hands around his mug.

"I don't have trouble finding dates," she replied hotly. "I just don't want a real one. I was with Neal for almost a decade and it's only been thirteen months since I split with him, and then there's Henry-" Emma clamped a hand over her mouth, eyes going wide at how easily she revealed the personal details of her predicament.

"Thirteen _months_ , Swan? After a decade? And who's Henry?" Killian's brows had drawn together in angry confusion. Emma shook her head, letting her hand slip away from her face.

"Henry is my son. _Our_ son, I mean. Mine and Neal's. And the only reason I'm even going to this circus. But that's not important. What's important is I would need you for a weekend. The wedding is in three weeks. I can pay you. I've got seventeen hundred dollars saved up. It's yours if you want the job." She fidgeted nervously with a napkin. Something sparkled in Killian's eyes and he reached across the table for her hand, stopping her movements. As he made to speak, though, a hand slammed two menus down on the table.

"Hey, _Emma_..." Emma's eyes blew comically wide as she looked up with a forced grin at the new presence. Ruby Lucas. Ruby had the important distinction of being Emma's best friend, but right now, she was her worst nightmare. "Who's the stud?" Ruby asked, twirling a strand of her scarlet streaked chestnut hair around a finger. She slid her gaze from Killian to Emma, a large, wolfish smile spreading over her crimson lips and her hazel eyes dancing with amusement.

"Uh..." Emma felt the panic rising in her throat and her mind went blank as she tried desperately to think of something.

"Killian Jones," the man in question answered instead, holding his hand out for Ruby to shake. "Emma's boyfriend."

Emma nearly choked on her own tongue and Ruby's eyes flew back at her so quickly she was surprised they didn't rattle around in her head.

"What the _fuck_?!" Ruby screeched.

"Ruby Jean! I raised you better than that! We've got customers!" Ruby's grandmother admonished loudly from behind the counter. She looked back at the stern, gray haired woman glaring at her as she wiped her glasses on the apron around her waist before setting them firmly back on her nose.

"I'm sorry about the language, Granny. Did you know that _Emma Swan_ is here with her _boyfriend_?" she asked, her voice a perfect balance between innocent and tattle-tale. Emma's brow pinched and she gave her friend a look that screamed ' _Really?_ '

"Boyfriend!" Granny nearly shrieked and she bustled her rounded form around the counter.

"Oh, God." Emma let her head fall into her hands and Killian hardly seemed able to contain his glee.

"Girl, I can't believe you didn't tell me you were showing up here with a new boyfriend! And a handsome one, too," she said as she approached the booth.

"This is Killian Jones," Ruby supplied with a smirk and Emma could only peek at the two women through her fingers.

"Enchanted to meet the both of you. Emma's said great things," he said, reaching for Granny's hand. Granny harrumphed as she shook it firmly.

"Well she's never mentioned a _boyfriend_ since that piece of work Neal up and ran off on her," Granny replied, studying Killian like a bug under a microscope as she maintained the handshake. Emma reached for her tea and took a large drink to clear the cotton mouth she'd suddenly developed.

"We've been keeping things quiet. Getting to know one another," he replied smoothly, releasing Granny's hand and taking one of Emma's in its place.

"Well, you just do the opposite of that idiot she had before and I won't have to dust off my crossbow." She raised an eyebrow at him before eyeing their joined hands. Killian visibly swallowed at the threat.

"I assure you, I only have the best of intentions with the Lady Swan." He gave Ruby and Granny both a charming but nervous smile.

"'The Lady Swan', where did you find this guy?!" Ruby hip checked Emma over in her seat and sat down, planting her chin in her hand and gazing at Emma's companion. "It's like he stepped out of a romance novel," she sighed dreamily. Killian winked at Emma, who prayed to whatever God was listening that the earth would open up beneath her and swallow her whole. She wasn't that lucky.

"Whereas that Whale fella stepped off the pages of a horror novel," Granny snorted.

" _Victor_ is a _doctor_. And he's a really nice guy." Ruby glared, standing back up.

"A nice doctor with a wagging tongue and a horrible haircut."

"Oh my God, he does not have a 'wagging tongue' and his hair is just fine."

"Um, guys? Can we talk about this later?" Emma seemed to find her voice finally, interrupting the squabbling between grandmother and grandchild. Granny looked at Emma, her features softening.

"Of course, dear," she said, patting Emma's cheek. "Anything you kids want, on the house." She nodded and gave Killian one last sharp look before heading back to the counter.

"She didn't have to do that, we'll pay," Emma told Ruby and she cut her off with a _pssh_.

"If you would have told her you were coming here on a date, she would've shut down the restaurant and decorated. There may have been a parade," she said with a chuckle, digging out her order pad and a pen. "Now, what can I get you lovebirds? Usual, Emma?" Emma nodded and Ruby turned to Killian. "How 'bout you, hot stuff?"

"I'll have whatever Emma's having. I trust her," Killian replied, holding Emma's gaze. Emma felt a flush creep up her neck and she realized Killian was still holding her hand. She extracted it quickly and wiped the sweat from her palm on the crumpled napkin in front of her.

"Aww! Aren't you two the cutest damn thing I've ever seen? I may vomit. Two grilled cheeses and onion rings, coming right up." Ruby winked at them and flounced off to deliver their order to Granny, who was now watching them with an eagle eye from the kitchen window. Emma watched Ruby walk a safe distance away before turning back to Killian, an apology on her lips already.

"So, love, did I pass muster?" Killian asked with a genuine smile and earnest eyes, beating her to the punch. Emma stared at him for a moment in shock before recovering herself.

"I'm sorry about them. Ruby's my best friend and Granny is a little overprotective. You didn't have to do that," she said, the flush on the apples of her cheeks deepening.

"Nonsense," he dismissed with a wave of his hand. "If we're to do this properly, then it makes sense your friends would approve."

"What? Does that mean you'll do it?" Emma couldn't keep the surprise from her voice.

"Aye, love. I'm all in. I daresay this will be most fun I've had on the job with my clothes on," he replied with a cheeky waggle of his eyebrows and Emma narrowed her eyes, one nostril twitching upwards. He leaned forward so only she could hear him. "Though, I wouldn't expect them to stay there, if you were so inclined."

"That is _not_ -" Emma started vehemently, but Killian cut her off with an easy laugh.

"I'm kidding, Swan. Though you do look quite fetching when you're flustered," he said, eyes twinkling over the rim of his mug as he took another drink of his tea.

"Do you _ever_ stop with the flirting?"

"Not usually, no," he quipped and Emma scoffed. "So, tell me about yourself, love."

"Tell you about myself?" she repeated, a bewildered quality to the question.

"Aye, anything you want."

"Anything I want."

"Are you just going to repeat everything I'm saying?" he asked, tossing her earlier words back at her with a playful smirk.

"Why would you want to know about me? You just have to show up in a suit, smile at people, and stand next to me. We're not actually dating," she reminded him.

"A crime in and of itself, to be certain." He grinned. "How long ago did you RSVP to this affair?" Emma cringed at his chosen terminology.

"About a month ago," she told him, tucking an errant blonde tendril behind her ear and ducking her head.

"Alright, then, so you've responded with a plus one a month ago, which means we've supposedly been dating for longer than that if you feel comfortable enough to bring me to your ex husband's wedding. Don't you think I would have learned something about you in that time?" Emma puffed a breath out, looking for a response, but he continued on. "What should I do if asked how we met and I say something completely outside your interests? Or if I'm to get you a drink and I bring you something you'd normally not touch? I'm just trying to keep this believable, darling." His eyebrow arched high on his forehead, punctuating his point.

"He's just my ex boyfriend. We were never married," she corrected bitterly. "And I guess you have a point."

"I'm wondering more and more what you saw in that bloke the more I learn about him," Killian replied, a note of distaste in his tone.

"Who, Neal? You and me both, brother," Ruby said with a snort as she arrived at their table, hands full of food. She set the plates on the table in front of each of them with a clatter. "If you figure it out, let me know. Enjoy your food, you crazy kids. Holler if you need something." She smiled again and set off to check on her other tables.

"Oh my God," Emma muttered as her eyes settled on her plate and the ketchup heart Ruby had doodled on it next to her onion rings, and she flushed again to match the condiment.

"I think she approves, love," Killian said, dragging an onion ring through the identical design on his own plate and popping it into his mouth enthusiastically. Emma rolled her eyes and picked up her sandwich, taking a vicious bite.

They ate in silence for a awhile, long enough for Emma to polish off half her sandwich and all but two of her onion rings. Killian, however, had already cleared his plate and was now trying to sneak one of Emma's remaining onion rings from her plate. She smacked his hand as soon as it came close to touching.

"Ouch, darling," he said, shaking his hand exaggeratedly. "Violence is never the answer."

"Pilfering my onion rings is a capital offense in most cases. You're lucky you got off with a warning," she replied, and _holy shit_ what was this flirtatious tone that had seeped into her voice? She mentally shook it off, even as Killian's eyes seemed to brighten with the change, and popped another ring in her mouth.

"I'll have to remember that," he replied softly, as if a piece to the puzzle that is Emma Swan snapped into place for him.

She chewed thoughtfully for a moment. Maybe she should tell him something about herself. Something more meaningful than 'I like onion rings'. She swallowed and reached for her tea, taking a quick drink to clear her throat, and a generic ringtone sounded from her pocket. She fought back a groan as she freed it from the denim, but her brow furrowed as Neal's name popped up on her caller ID. She mumbled an apology to Killian, before turning slightly away from him and answering.

"Hello?" She ignored Killian as he watched her intently from across the table.

"Hey, Ems. You busy?" Neal's voice was loud. He had to have her on speakerphone wherever he was calling from.

"A little, what's up? Is everything okay? Is Henry okay?" That sudden thought made her heartbeat speed up slightly. She could see Killian lean forward with what looked like concern.

"Oh, no, Henry's fine. He's great. Right, buddy?" Neal replied, switching the direction of his words to their son who must have been listening close by. She breathed out a sigh of relief and Killian visibly relaxed in his seat as well.

"Hi, Mom!" Henry's excited little voice came over the phone, making Emma smile.

"Hey, kid, are you having fun with Dad?" she asked. Her eyes darted back to Killian and she mouthed the word 'sorry' that he waved away with his hand and a smile.

"Yeah! We went to get our suits for the wedding!" he practically yelled.

"I'll bet you look very handsome. I can't wait to see it when you come home," she told him with a smile. Killian was still watching her, a soft look on his face that made Emma's heart beat a little faster.

"Yeah, Ems, about that. I'm gonna have to bring him home a little early. Had some stuff come up. Is that cool?" Neal's voice sounded sheepish and now she knew the reason why she was on speakerphone in front of her son.

"How early? Tomorrow morning?" she asked, trying to keep her voice even.

"Uh, we're actually on our way. Maybe an hour out?" he said and Emma turned completely from Killian in the booth, facing sideways. She could feel his gaze melt back into one of concern.

"Neal!" she hissed. "Take me off speakerphone." She heard rustling and a click.

"Okay, you're off. I'm sorry, Ems." Preemptive strike by Neal. His apology only further incensed her, like it was just his automatic response, not that he was actually sorry. She'd heard that tone a thousand times.

"You dropped him off early last time, too, Neal. And the time before that! He was crushed! He asked me why you didn't want him to stay! I _told_ you this," she growled, trying to keep her voice low.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to him. Things with the wedding have been crazy and now Tamara's grandmother is flying in tomorrow morning instead of next week because she found a cheaper flight, so it's gonna be hectic and it would just be better if Henry went home,"

"He should feel like he has a home with you, too, Neal. And you didn't give me any kind of warning! What if I was out of town on a case?"

She could feel her anger rising. Suddenly, she felt a hand on hers, unfurling the fingers she had wrapped around a spoon, one she didn't realize she'd been holding, so tightly the metal had left imprints in her skin. She looked at her hand and up to Killian's face. His brow was furrowed as he tried to soothe the marks in her skin by rubbing his thumb over them.

"Jesus, Emma, he does have a home with me. And you always tell me when you're leaving town for a case when I have Henry."

"That's because I never know when you're going to be 'on your way, maybe an hour out'," she retorted, paying no mind to the patterns Killian was massaging into the heel of her hand. "Just forget it, Neal. I'm not fighting with you. I'll see you when you get here. Drive safe." She didn't let him respond before she slammed her thumb into the screen to end the call. A warm thumb slid across her wrist, causing her to look up at Killian.

"I take it you have to run, love?" Killian asked softly. Emma nodded, stuffing her phone in her pocket. She haphazardly piled dishes together on her side of the table, patting herself down to make sure her phone was back in her pocket safely, along with her keys. Killian reached out and stilled her frenzied hands with his own, holding her fingers lightly and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. Emma's eyes widened at the feel of his soft lips and stubble against her skin again, sending the same electric current up her arm as it had the previous night.

"I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to this, Emma Swan." His blue eyes pierced into hers, captivating her for a moment.

 _This isn't real,_ her mind hissed at her and she pulled her hand back and huffed a chuckle out.

"Alright, Romeo. I already said I'd pay you. Tone down the theatrics," she replied.

"You know, Swan, most men would take your all business facade as off-putting. Luckily, I love a challenge," he said with an open mouthed grin. Emma rolled her eyes and stood from the booth.

"I'll, uh, call you again to discuss the finer details. Soon," she promised. Killian stood as well, removing his billfold from his back pocket and putting a twenty on the table.

"Oh, no, Granny really meant it was on the house, she'd kill me if we paid-" Emma started.

"A tip then," Killian said, leaving the bill where it lie. "For excellent service. Come, love, I'll walk you out." He put his wallet back and motioned for her to go first.

"You don't need to walk me out, I'm okay," she replied, wanting to put some distance between the two of them. She was already feeling too comfortable around him. He stepped closer to her and slipped his arm around her lower back.

"Yes, but that saves you from having to explain why you didn't kiss your boyfriend goodbye to your friend, and save me from an inquisition where I may say something foolish," he murmured in her ear, simultaneously leaning in close and pressing his hand to the small of her back to urge her to walk with him.

 _Damn him for always being logical_ , Emma cursed in her head. _Then again, escape artist must be a part of the job description_.

She straightened her shoulders and walked out slightly in front of him, shooting an apologetic smile to Ruby over the counter.

"Wait, you're leaving? I didn't even bring you pie!" she protested.

"I know, Ruby, I'm sorry. Neal's dropping Henry back early, but Killian left a tip, though! I'll call you later!" She gave her friend another contrite smile and hurried out the door as she spoke.

Emma took a deep, grounding breath of the fresh outside air. Killian's hand met her back again, making her start.

"I'm sorry, love, didn't mean to give you a fright."

"It's fine, you didn't. I'm down this way," she said, gesturing with her arm and heading in the same direction. It was no surprise to Emma that Killian immediately began following her. She felt her cheeks heat as she made her way to her little yellow bug. As she approached the vehicle, she turned to walk backwards in order to address Killian face to face.

He was much closer than she expected him to be and she took a larger step backwards, continuing to walk until her back hit the driver's door.

"This is me. I'll, uh, call you tomorrow or something with more details," she said, flashing him an uneven smile.

His eyes sparkled and he smirked back, stepping forward and almost crowding her, but still leaving a respectable distance.

"Quite the vessel you captain, Swan," he said. "I'll look forward to your call."

"Uh, yep. So I'm just gonna..." she trailed off pointing over her shoulder at her car. He took another step forward and her breath caught. "What are you doing?" She hated the airiness of her voice.

"Practicing."

Before she could ask him what he meant, his hands came up to cup the sides of her face and his mouth descended on hers. Her eyes flew wide at the action and she was shocked still. His lips were soft, warm, and he didn't just smush them sloppily against hers. No, he moved cautiously, gently, dare she say _tenderly_ , as if he was savoring this, and she felt herself beginning to respond. He pulled back and her eyes fluttered open, though she wasn't sure when they'd closed, or when she'd gripped his elbows. He looked down at her, the barest hint of heat and curiosity in his ocean eyes, his lips only scant inches from her own.

"Thank you for lunch, Swan," he murmured, the soft puff of breath with his words brushing her lips.

"Yeah, sure," she replied dumbly. He seemed pleased with himself and took three steps backwards, hands tracing the edge of her jaw as they returned to his sides. He winked and turned back the way they'd just come and Emma couldn't help but watch him go.

"Ladies, a pleasure," he nodded as he passed the fenced patio area and Emma's eyes snapped to the diner to find Ruby and Granny pretending to clean tables and sweep in the area. Ruby at least had the decency to wait until he passed before turning and fanning herself, mouthing " _OH MY GOD CALL ME_ " to Emma. Granny promptly smacked Ruby with a dish towel and hauled her away by the elbow, giving Emma an approving smile and nod.

Emma rolled her eyes and got into the car ( _finally_ ) to begin her journey home. She absolutely did _not_ think about that kiss on the drive.

She had been home for maybe half an hour before the door was bursting open and it sounded like a herd of elephants was stampeding into the living room. She made her way from the kitchen and felt Henry collide with her midsection before she could see him.

"Oof! It's good to see you, too, kid," she said and stroked her hand over the top of Henry's messy brown hair, a small content smile creeping over her lips. Her son's small arms wrapped around her waist felt like a long lost puzzle piece snapping back into place.

A short sharp knock sounded and Neal's sheepish face came into view as he walked through the still open door. His slightly curly brown hair looked like he'd been running his fingers through it and the lighter brown goatee he sported made him look like a college stoner, despite the small patch of gray that had worked its way into it. His face still had that same charming, boyish quality he'd had when they first met. She once would have found it endearing, but now it just reminded her of his immaturity.

"Hey. I left Henry's bag in the entryway. Suit bag, too." he said, rubbing at his arm. Emma gave him a look.

"It's so cool!" Henry piped up as he stepped away from his mother. Emma smiled affectionately at her son.

"Why don't you say goodbye to your dad and go put your stuff away? I'll come in and look at your suit in a minute, 'kay?" she said encouragingly.

"Okay! Bye dad!" Henry shouted, giving Neal a two second hug that he barely had time to return and racing out of the room.

"Bye... buddy..." Neal said almost sadly after him before turning his attention back to Emma. "I really am sorry about this Ems." Preemptive strike number two.

"It's not me you should apologize to, Neal. I'm not the one inconvenienced by our son," she retorted, turning back towards the door.

"C'mon Emma, don't be like that. I just don't want him to feel neglected. With the wedding getting closer, things are just getting hectic. You know how it is," he said as he followed her. Emma spun on her heel at that, jade eyes blazing, and Neal stopped short and swallowed hard.

"No, _Neal_ , I _don't_ know how it is," she growled pointedly. He at least had the decency to look chastened.

"You know I didn't mean it like that," he said softly, looking at his feet. Emma huffed and walked over to the door.

"It doesn't matter, Neal. This isn't about me. Life keeps happening when you're a parent and your kid is a part of that life. You have to figure out how to be a parent and live your life. Not just when it's convenient for you." She pulled open the door motioning for him to leave. Neal sighed heavily.

"I just could never do anything right with you, could I?" he replied, a bitter tone to his voice.

"Just worry about doing right by your son. Anything else? You have a long drive back." Emma tapped her foot impatiently. Neal started to walk through the open door, then paused.

"Actually, yeah. I noticed you RSVP'd with a plus one," he said. Emma arched an eyebrow at that.

"So? You sent me an invitation with a plus one option," she pointed out.

" _So_ am I going to have to worry about David punching me at my wedding?" His voice was exasperated and Emma slipped on a sly smile.

"I wouldn't bring David specifically for that reason," she replied and Neal relaxed before looking at her curiously, turning to face her as he stepped into the communal hallway.

"Well, then, who are you bringing?"

"I don't think that's any of your business."

"Well, it's kind of my business who you'll have at my wedding." He had a point, the bastard.

"I'm bringing this guy I've been seeing," she said, shrugging. She hoped she looked cool on the outside because on the inside she was Freaking Out (capital F, capital O). Neal looked so surprised, she doubted he would have noticed if she didn't give off her intended nonchalance.

"You're seeing someone? Since when? Why didn't you say something?" His rapid fire questions made Emma feel deliciously smug.

"It's been awhile now. I don't have to clear my love life with you anymore, Neal," she retorted. His brow furrowed.

"I should have the right to know who you're bringing around my son," he argued and that did it for Emma's temper.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Neal? You had a full blown affair behind my back, you didn't ask me once how I felt about you introducing _her_ to our son, and Killian hasn't even _met_ Henry yet! How dare you question _my_ love life like it is even remotely your business when _your_ love life is the reason it isn't? And don't you _ever_ act like I'd put my son in any kind of danger, like the company I keep is so shady that you'd need to check up on it. How fucking _dare_ you?" she nearly shouted. A door slammed somewhere down the hall and Emma's face colored as she realized she was fighting with her ex in plain view of all her neighbors.

"You're right, I'm sorry," Neal said quietly and Emma rolled her eyes, hiccuping in a breath. She _would not_ cry in front of him.

"Stop apologizing, Neal. You should go." She couldn't even look at him, she was so mad. Tears burned at her eyes and throat and it only made her angrier.

"Okay, Ems. I hope this Killian guy is treating you right," he said.

Emma slammed the door in his face.

She turned around and leaned heavily against it, burying her face in her hands and fighting back the angry, shameful tears. Because, while what she had said to Neal was mostly the truth, the situation was nowhere near ideal. His words hurt her in more ways than one. Honestly, what kind of person was she for even entertaining the idea of bringing a male escort around her son? And just to spite her ex. This was an absolute mess.

"Mom?"

Emma's head popped up at Henry's voice and she gave him a too bright smile to compensate for her actual state.

"Hey, kid. Did you get your stuff put up?" She sniffed and tried to wipe her face discreetly. He nodded.

"Did Dad make you cry?" Henry asked and Emma felt like the biggest piece of trash on the planet. She shook her head no, probably too vehemently.

"No, I'm okay, Henry," she said, moving towards him and putting an arm around his shoulders. She steered him towards his room, hoping to distract him.

"I heard you fighting," Henry said matter-of-factly, making Emma wince. "I don't like it when he makes you cry."

"I'm really okay, Henry. Can I see your new suit?" She redirected him as they walked into his room. He grinned up at her, a gap toothed smile due to the tooth he'd lost a week and a half ago, then ran over to where the suit was laying in its garment bag on his bed.

They looked at his suit together and Henry told her about his visit with his dad. Apparently Neal had taken him to the aquarium and Central Park, and he, quote, "ate so much ice cream he thought he was gonna puke".

"We were supposed to get pizza tonight, but I had to come home," he said, his voice dropping a little. Emma felt her anger with Neal flare again in her belly, but she quickly tamped it down.

"Well, we can still have pizza for dinner, if you want," she offered. Henry fist pumped the air with a loud "yes!" before running off to get the menu for their favorite place from the drawer where it was kept in the kitchen.

The incident with Neal was all but forgotten.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**

Heyooo! A brand new chapter with brand new freaking AMAZING art by the inifintely talented and wonderful @artistic-writer and (as you may have guessed from said amazing art) it's girls night! This chapter was sooooo much fun to write and we introduce a couple new characters here as well. Super huge thanks to @superchocovian who was my awesome beta for this whole process and thank you thank you thank you to every single one of you who gave this little fic a chance. Your comments and likes and reblogs etc make my whole day. Hope you guys like this newest chapter! Away we go!

 **Chapter 3**

Four days after the Neal incident, as she'd dubbed it, Emma trudged up the stairs to her floor, favoring her left leg a little. The asshole she'd been hired to find by a scorned lover with a child that he'd up and abandoned saw her taking pictures of his house and vehicle and came out to confront her. When she told him the reason she was there, he pushed her and ended up landing hard on her hip in the middle of the street. Emma ended up punching him, a neighbor called the cops, long story short, said asshole was now sitting in a jail cell with a black eye and a shiny new child support order. But _damn_ if her hip and thigh didn't hurt.

She made her way down the hallway and stopped at apartment 427, only a little ways down the hall from her own apartment, and knocked. A woman answered, pale blonde hair resting over her shoulder in an intricate braid, icy blue eyes lighting up as she recognized Emma.

"Hey, Elsa, I'm sorry I'm late. Problems with the di-i-i-fficult person I was tailing. Hey, kid!" She cut off her curse word as Henry came into view.

"Hi, Mom! I'll get my shoes!" Henry replied and took off further into the apartment.

"It's no problem, Emma, really," her friend said, sweeping the door open and offering for Emma to come in. Emma shook her head.

"No, we better head home. Once I sit down, I don't think I'll be getting back up," she chuckled.

"Did something happen?" Elsa asked, eyes widening in alarm.

"Just had a disagreement with the asphalt. I'll be alright." She shrugged.

"You're hurt! What happened?" Elsa asked.

Emma recounted the tale briefly, downplaying it as much as possible.

"What a jerk!" Elsa fumed and Emma nodded in agreement.

"He got what was coming to him," she replied just as Henry rounded the corner, shoes now in place. "Ready to go, kid?" she asked and Henry nodded enthusiastically. Emma dug in her pocket and fished out a $50, extending it to Elsa. The other blonde shook her head in refusal.

"No way, Emma. It was my pleasure to watch him. It was good to have the company." Her pink bowed mouth quirked up in a smile.

"You never let me pay you. One of these days I'm just gonna slip it in your shoe," Emma threatened and Elsa just laughed. "Say thank you to Aunt Elsa, Henry." Henry had adopted the 'aunt' title for both Elsa and Ruby as soon as he could talk. Well, Ruby had adopted it for herself and Henry followed suit with Elsa. She was grateful to have friends that were as close as family, even when she was stupidly cutting people out for Neal. They'd always stuck by her, even when she didn't deserve it.

"Thank you!" Her son threw his arms around Elsa's waist and she chuckled and hugged him back.

"You're welcome anytime, Henry," she assured him and kissed the top of his head.

"I assume he behaved himself?" Emma directed the question at Elsa, but looked at her son who nodded solemnly, his big hazel eyes sincere.

"Of course. We made spaghetti for dinner and watched a movie and Henry even helped with the dishes." Elsa smiled. Emma ruffled Henry's hair.

"That's my boy," she praised her son who beamed back at her. "I'll catch you later, okay?" She looked back at Elsa.

"I hope so. Cause I talked to Ruby a couple days ago and she mentioned some pretty interesting stuff," she replied with a raised eyebrow. Emma groaned. If Ruby told Elsa about Killian, then she almost certainly told Mary Margaret, who definitely told her brother. She was surprised David hadn't beat down her door about it already.

"Ruby has a big mouth," Emma retorted and Elsa seemed amused by her discomfort. "We will talk later, I promise."

"I look forward to it," Elsa said, slipping back into her apartment, a twinkle in her eye.

Henry was a whirlwind of energy once they got back to their apartment, telling Emma all about his time cooking with Elsa, asking what happened on her case, worrying over her slight limp, and chattering about the superhero movie he'd just watched. Emma distracted him long enough with video games that she was able to get herself a microwave burrito made and sink back into the couch with an ice pack. Just as she sank back into the cushions after eating and relaxed, as these things always seem to turn out, an enthusiastic knock sounded at the door.

"Mom! Someone's knocking!" Henry shouted over the electronic car sounds coming from his game. Emma tipped her head back and groaned.

"Twenty more minutes on that then it's time to get ready for bed, mister," she called back, hoisting herself from the couch with a wince.

"Okay," he grumbled. Emma hid a smile at that and made her way to the door.

She wasn't expecting Ruby, Mary Margaret, and Elsa to be greeting her on the other side.

"Uhh, hey guys, what's up?" She glanced between the three of them, each wearing a different expression. Ruby mischievously ran her tongue along her straight white teeth and produced a bottle of wine from behind her back, whereas Mary Margaret was practically vibrating out of her skin, green eyes luminous and hopeful and the board game Candy Land firmly in her grip, bright smile in place. Elsa had the good sense to look a little guilty, fiddling with the end of her white blonde braid and chewing on her lower lip.

"Girls night is what's up! You gonna let us in?" Ruby grinned, waggling the bottle at her.

"I'm still deciding," Emma retorted with a raised eyebrow. Ruby scoffed and pushed her way past Emma into the apartment. Emma groaned again, and swung the door open wider so Mary Margaret and Elsa could come in after her.

"Aunt Ruby!" An unearthly shriek was heard as the three rounded the corner into the living room and the sound of a car crashing in Henry's video game rang out as the eight year old scrambled up onto the couch and leapt into Ruby's waiting arms.

"Hey monkey man!" Ruby greeted him, hugging him tightly. Emma walked past and moved the bottle of wine out of the way of Henry's swinging legs. Henry spied the other two women over Ruby's shoulder.

"Aunt Elsa? Aunt Mary? What's going on?" Henry asked as he slid down Ruby's body to his feet.

"We just wanted a little girl time with your mom, honey, nothing's wrong," Mary Margaret rushed to assure the boy. He looked around in confusion.

"Does that mean I hafta go to bed?" His nose wrinkled at the thought and Emma laughed.

"Well, it's up to your mom, but I brought Candy Land!" Mary Margaret and Henry both turned in sync with one another and put on matching puppy dog eyes. Emma tapped her finger against the dimple in her chin in mock thought.

"Well, you were good for Elsa today, so I suppose..." Emma relented, a sparkle to her gaze. Henry broke out into a wide smile and threw his arms around his aunt with a cheer. "But, jammies and teeth brushed first, kid. Then straight to bed afterwards." Henry was off without a moment's notice to comply.

"So..." Ruby turned to face Emma and the other two followed suit.

"So..." Emma repeated, eyebrow raised. "Did you know about this, Elsa?" The bright red shade her friend turned answered her question, but Elsa spoke anyway.

"I _may_ have not disclosed _all_ of what Ruby and I were talking about earlier," she mumbled. Mary Margaret busied herself setting up the board game on the coffee table behind them.

"Oh sure, blame me," Ruby cut in. Emma shook her head and made her way around to turn off the game system and TV off.

"You're all in trouble," Emma hissed. "And not a peep about what I _know_ you're here about in front of Henry. He doesn't know yet."

"Sure, sure, wait until the super smart eight-year-old is in bed before we talk about his new stepdad," Ruby grinned and Emma gave her a glare that could have set her on fire.

"Ruby!" Elsa admonished before Emma could.

"I'm ready!" Henry came bounding back in the room, one of his Ninja Turtle pajama legs hiked up around the knee and water dripping from his chin. Emma shot her friends, especially Ruby, a hard look and moved to right her son's clothing and wipe his face.

Two games (both ending with Henry as the victor) and more than an hour later, Henry was yawning and leaning heavily into Mary Margaret's shoulder on the couch. She rhythmically stroked her nephew's hair as Elsa and Emma gathered the pieces to the game and reboxed it. The clock flashed 9:23 on the cable box under the TV, almost an hour past Henry's bedtime. Ruby had excused herself to the bathroom a couple of minutes ago.

"Hey, kid, why don't you head off to bed? I'll be there in a minute to tuck you in," Emma said and Henry gave a sleepy nod. The fact that he didn't even try to fight it, especially with his aunts visiting, showed how tired he really was.

"I'll take him, Emma, not a problem," Mary Margaret offered, budging herself and the boy from the couch. Henry trudged his way over to Emma, giving her a hug and kiss goodnight, and then shuffled down the hall to his room beside Mary Margaret.

"I'll grab some glasses," Elsa said, and went into the kitchen.

Emma walked around the room to finish straightening up, her bruised hip feeling much better after using the ice pack on it through the games with Henry. She was putting the board game on the table near the door when her phone began to ring from its place on the coffee table. Her forehead wrinkled. No one would be calling this late, and everyone who might was already there. Maybe David?

"I got it!" Ruby said, making her return to the living room. She scooped up the phone from where it lay and an audible gasp escaped her mouth before she excitedly tapped the answer button and lifted the phone to her ear.

"Well, _hello_ , Killian." Ruby grinned like the Cheshire cat and Emma's heart jumped into her throat as she practically ran to where Ruby was. Ruby anticipated her approach and scurried around the other side of the couch.

"Oh, yes, Emma's here somewhere. Hey, thanks for the tip the other day." She darted her glittering hazel eyes to Emma as the blonde stomped her way around the couch. Ruby flitted away again to the space next to the TV, mischief shining bright in her eyes.

"Ruby, give me the phone!" Emma hissed.

"Oh, good, you do remember me. Point, Killian. I'm glad you had a good date! Emma's quite a catch, you know," she said, ignoring the demand, and Emma darted around the couch and lunged for her, sending Ruby squealing in the opposite direction.

"What? Oh, no, I thought I saw a mouse. So, calling for Emma this late? Is this a booty call?" She continued, landing herself in between the coffee table and the sofa. Emma stared her down from the other side of the table.

"I am gonna _kill_ you!" Emma growled, stepping up and over the coffee table and tackling Ruby into the cushions, only wincing slightly at the twinge in her leg.

"Oof! No, wait, just-"

"Give it to me!"

"Ouch! You're on my hair!"

"Let it go!"

"Just let me say goodbye!"

"RUBY!"

"Argh! My arm is stuck!"

"Aha! Hello? Killian?" Emma retrieved the phone triumphantly, despite both she and Ruby ending up upside down, hanging off the couch, Emma sprawled atop the brunette.

Mary Margaret made her way back in and looked quizzically at the scene before her just as Elsa reappeared from the kitchen, a half full wine glass in each hand, utter shock painted over her features.

"Swan?" The voice on the other end of the line asked. "Have I called at a bad time?"

"Uhh, kind of," she grunted, hoisting herself upright and dragging Ruby with her. She sat on the edge of the sofa with a sigh and brushed several strands of her hair out of her face that had been loosened during the scuffle.

"I see. Well, I won't keep you. I just hadn't heard from you since our, uh, date, so I wanted to check in and see what was next on the schedule," he said. Emma shifted, then stood, intending on going into the kitchen and away from the three sets of eyes watching her every move.

"I know, I'm sorry. I got caught up with work, and the thing with my ex, I lost track of time. I was thinking we could grab coffee this weekend?" she replied, making her way into relative privacy.

"That sounds lovely, Swan. I know a place. I could text you the details, if you like, and I'm free Friday afternoon," he agreed readily.

"Okay and I'll bring that _stuff_ I promised you," she said pointedly, not wanting to talk about paying him in case someone overheard.

"No rush, love. Whenever you can. I'm enjoying your company," he said and she felt her face heat at his words. She wanted to snap back with a 'don't get used to it', but she swallowed the words with a noncommittal hum instead.

"Ask him if he wants to come to the lake!" Mary Margaret squeaked, giving away the position of Emma's three eavesdropping friends just beyond the kitchen entrance.

Mary Margaret and David held a get together every year at their cabin at Lake Onota, a good three hours away from Boston, that David had inherited from his late father. The men fished, the kids swam, they even did a bonfire on the beach. It was usually a good time with her little family. Neal used to hate it, but even in the most strained of times, Emma had never missed it.

Emma spun on her heel to glare at them, mouthing the word 'NO' to her sister-in-law. Mary Margaret scampered fully into the kitchen, nodding enthusiastically.

"He could meet the family! Ask him!" she urged, Ruby and Elsa slipping in behind her.

"That's exactly why I'm _not_ asking him," she replied, moving the mouthpiece away from her face.

"Come on! He'll have to meet us sooner or later!" Mary Margaret pleaded.

"Swan? Do you need to go?" Killian's voice asked from the phone.

"I-" she started.

"Emma wants to invite you to a barbeque!" Mary Margaret said loudly towards the phone.

"Uh... what?" Killian's confused voice replied.

"I don't think he's quite ready for that, Mary Margaret," Emma replied so Killian could hear, hoping he would take the hint and say no. She should have known he wouldn't.

"I do enjoy a good steak," he mused, humor coloring his tone, and Emma didn't know whether to scowl at the phone or her friends.

"You don't think it's a little _sudden_ , you know, meeting my _whole family_?" she asked through clenched teeth, furious with all of them for this.

"Nonsense, love. It seems like it would be good practice, actually," he replied, much too casually for Emma's liking.

"Practice for what?" Elsa screeched and Emma jumped, not realizing her quiet as a mouse friend had snuck up behind her and had her ear essentially pressed against Emma's phone to hear what Killian was saying.

"Elsa! God!" Emma stepped away from her and in the moment of discombobulation, Mary Margaret plucked the phone from Emma's hand. "Mary Margaret!"

"Yeah, practice for what, Emma?" Ruby insisted, drawing her attention away.

"Hi, Killian? Yes, this is Mary Margaret, Emma's sister-in-law," the petite phone bandit started.

"Dammit, can I have my phone back?" Emma held out her hand expectantly, arching a brow and setting her mouth in a thin line. Mary Margaret only held up one finger and ignored her, a bright smile spreading over her heart shaped lips.

"Yes, well, we were just talking about our annual barbeque weekend at the lake. It's overnight next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and we would love it if you would join us," she continued, running her fingers through her short dark hair. Emma wanted to melt into the floor.

"Mary Margaret," she tried feebly one more time. Of course she was ignored once again, Mary Margaret instead expressing her exuberance at Killian's apparent acceptance, then rattling off the address and directions. Emma could only stand there and watch, helpless.

"If you see the yellow gate, you've gone too far. Emma will show you. Right. Okay, Killian! I'll give you back to Emma! Bye," she said and handed Emma the phone. Emma snatched it out of her hand and glared, to which Mary Margaret rolled her eyes.

"I'm so sorry about them," she said, turning away from her friends but keeping them in her line of sight. Mary Margaret picked up the two remaining glasses of wine from the counter and ushered Ruby and Elsa out of the room with her. She walked after them and stopped at the counter where she could see into the living room where they were settling onto the couch, making sure they were out of earshot but within her vision.

"Don't fret, Swan, they're just happy for you. I gather that love has been all too rare in your life," he mused, sounding surprisingly not scared away in the least.

"Uh, yeah, you could say that. And you know, I know a family weekend wasn't part of what we discussed. You don't have to go. I can make up an excuse," she told him.

"Do you not want me to go, love?" he asked. Emma sputtered in response.

"Uh, n-no, that's not what I meant, I mean I can't afford anything extra really, just what we discussed, and my friends are a little too invested in my life, and I just don't know how this is going to be a good idea when this all ends." She leaned forward on the counter on her elbow and with her free hand, she rubbed circles into her temple, trying to soothe her overworked brain.

"Emma, trust me, it will be fine. I don't expect anything more from you. This is all part of our original arrangement, as far as I'm concerned. And we will work something out when this is all said and done. I'm confident we will have a plausible story by then. We can discuss it over coffee on Friday," he said soothingly. Emma was oddly comforted by his reasoning, even though an unexpected pang reverberated in her chest when he mentioned the end of their arrangement. If only she could find someone this flexible and understanding that she wasn't paying.

"Okay. I'd better go. They're all chomping at the bit. I'll let you know everything I tell them," she replied.

"I appreciate that, Swan," he said with a chuckle. "It was lovely to speak with you and your friends tonight. I hope you have a good rest of your evening."

"Yeah, you too. Night, Jones," she said.

"Good night, love. Sweet dreams," he replied and they ended the call.

Emma took a deep breath and grabbed the bottle of wine off the counter. She settled herself on the vacant far left cushion and set the bottle on the table.

"So..." Ruby began and Emma held up her hand, effectively silencing her and picking up the lone glass remaining on the coffee table. She drank it down in one go, then refilled it slightly more than it had been before. She sighed.

"Proceed," she said, irritated already.

"Why didn't you tell us you had a boyfriend?" Mary Margaret blurted. Emma stared at her.

"This. This is the exact reason why. You're all crazy," she said and Mary Margaret looked offended. Emma hated lying to her friends about this, but it was better than them knowing the truth. This had already gone further than she'd expected it to. "I love you, but it's true. Look, we just wanted some time to ourselves, to get to know each other."

"Makes sense. But if he can't handle our crazy, then he's not the one for you," Elsa pointed out with a teasing smile.

"Well you haven't scared him away yet," Emma mumbled, taking another sip of her wine, the sweetness of the liquid washing away the bitterness of her dishonesty.

"What was Elsa talking about when he said he was practicing or something?" Ruby interjected. Emma's heart skipped a beat when she recalled his declaration of "practicing" just before he'd kissed her. She _shoved_ that thought aside.

"Uh, he's going to be my date to Neal's wedding," she admitted. The room fell so quiet they could've heard a pin drop.

"Whoa." Elsa was the first to break the silence.

"That's... _huge_ , Emma!" Mary Margaret cut in.

"It's _not_ that big of a deal. I needed a date. We're seeing each other. Made sense." She shrugged.

"Please, Emma. This is a very big deal and you know it." Mary Margaret tutted and took a sip from her wine glass.

Emma wanted to scream " _it's not a big deal because I'm paying him! It's not real!_ " But she bit her tongue and took another long drink from her own glass.

"Not to mention the fact that you were planning on introducing him to your douchebag ex before us," Ruby interjected.

"I just wanted to keep it quiet for a little while. It all happened kind of suddenly," Emma defended herself.

"It hasn't been that long since she and Neal broke up, Ruby," Elsa pointed out. "It makes sense she would want to stay under the radar. It never hurts to be cautious in these situations."

"I don't know, maybe Emma's been living a little _too_ cautiously," Ruby mused. "And you guys haven't seen him. I mean he's like," she waved her hand in the air as if she was visualizing him, "the total package. Best way to get over someone is to get under someone else and I bet he does just fine over, under, sideways, backwards-"

"Ruby, don't be gross," Mary Margaret chastised in what Emma liked to call her 'teacher voice' that she was sure after her sister-in-law spent the last five years heading a fifth grade class that she didn't even notice she used anymore. "Emma deserves love. Yes, she's recently out of a long term relationship, but that was not a very good situation to begin with. This could be a second chance for her to find the real thing!" She practically squealed the last part.

"Okay, I am going to stop all three of you right here," Emma butted in, cheeks flushed hot and her eyes looking sternly between the three of them. "First of all, _I'm right here_. No need to talk about me like I'm not in the room. Second of all, I am being cautious, we are not labeling this with a big red 'true love' stamp, and what he does in bed is none of anyone's business." _Not even mine_ , she added to herself bitterly. Elsa and Mary Margaret sobered slightly at her scolding but Ruby's salacious smile only widened.

"You're right, Emma, we're sorry." Mary Margaret reached out and patted Emma's hand that wasn't holding the wine glass in a death grip.

"Okay, so we will meet Killian at the lake. But are you sure bringing him to Neal's wedding is a good idea? Is Neal going to be okay with that? Is Henry?" Elsa asked apprehensively. Emma shrugged, taking another sip of her drink. She was starting to feel warm from the amount of wine she'd already consumed.

"He sent me an invitation with a plus one on it. If he wasn't okay with me bringing a date, then he wouldn't have sent me something like that," she replied nonchalantly. Emma wasn't entirely convinced that he didn't send it like that by mistake. Or worse, that he'd meant to do it to pour salt in the wound of her being alone.

Ruby snorted. "Please. He didn't actually expect you to bring anyone. He was just being an asshole," she said, clearly feeling the effects of her own alcohol by the rosy flush to her cheeks and her looser than normal lips. She obviously bought into theory number two. She leaned forward, licking her lips, intent on continuing. "He is gonna flip his shit when he sees Killian, and it serves him right. Stick it to him, Emma." She nodded and raised her glass to Emma in a mock toast before tipping back a drink. Emma felt herself relaxing slightly, a small smile even creeping onto her face. That was something she could get behind. That was the purpose of this whole thing, after all.

"But what about Henry?" Elsa asked, big blue eyes searching Emma's.

"He hasn't met him yet. I was waiting for the right time," she said. Truth was, when she thought this plan up, she'd completely forgotten Henry was going to be there. Now she had no choice but to introduce Killian to her son. She was going to have to lie to her little boy, and that thought sat like a lead weight in her stomach. Mary Margaret must have saw the panic written on her features because she reached out and put a comforting hand on Emma's thigh. Emma snapped her eyes to hers.

"It's okay, Emma. You don't have to make that decision right now. Henry is remarkably well adjusted and he will be okay," she assured her. Emma nodded and drained the rest of her wine glass.

"It's not like Henry would expect you to stay single forever. I mean, look at this whole situation with Fuck-head and Skank-face," Ruby said, and Elsa and Mary Margaret both made noises of disapproval at her nicknames for Neal and Tamara. "At least Killian is clearly not the sole object of your focus like she is to Neal. How many times does this make it that Neal has dropped him back early or cancelled on you in favor of that homewrecker?"

And there it was.

"Neal loves Henry," Emma defended weakly in lieu of an actual answer.

"No one said he didn't, Emma. Just that his priorities are not in the right place sometimes when it comes to her," Elsa placated softly. "He is kind of a Disneyland Dad. And he gave you far too much grief when you were together."

"Henry heard us fighting the other day. I was crying and it upset him," Emma admitted. Her heart was still heavy with the shame of what happened on Saturday.

"The bastard," Ruby growled. "What did he do now?"

"He asked who I was bringing to the wedding because he was worried I was going to bring David and he was going to beat him up," Emma started and Mary Margaret scoffed.

"He would never," she rebuffed, and Emma looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Mary Margaret blushed a little before conceding, "Well, maybe he might. I had to stop him from coming with me tonight and giving you the inquisition. I convinced him that babysitters are too expensive and we were getting wine, so he's home with Leo." Emma groaned at the confirmation her brother was aware of her (faux) beau's existence. Thank god she had an adorable 6 year old nephew to run interference.

"I'm assuming that you told Neal it was Killian you were bringing instead?" Elsa pulled the focus back to the topic. Emma nodded. "And he didn't take it well?" she guessed.

"He kinda did? But he thought I should have told him I was seeing someone and then told me he needed to know who I was bringing around Henry," Emma said, anger rising in her belly again at the memory. Ruby snorted. Mary Margaret gasped. Elsa scoffed.

"Like he told you he had Skankzilla floating around," Ruby retorted. Emma nodded.

"I told him that, and I told him to never question the company I keep again, but he just got under my skin. Saying all those things out loud to him just pulled up all those old feelings and I couldn't help it. So I told him off and slammed the door in his face and I cried a little bit and Henry saw and heard and I hate myself for putting him in that position," Emma said angrily, tears pricking the back of her eyes even now. She blinked them away before they could manifest.

"Okay, here's what I think. Henry loves you both. He wants you to be happy. If Neal is happy with Tamara, that's his prerogative, but there is nothing in this that says you can't be happy, too, Emma," Mary Margaret said, taking Emma's cheeks into the palms of her hands. "Have fun with Killian, keep doing what you're doing, just--let us share in your happiness. That's all we want for you, too, is to be happy."

This time there was no holding back the tears that spilled silently from Emma's eyes, caused by a mixture of love for her friends and guilt about lying to them. She chuckled, embarrassed. Mary Margaret looked about ready to cry herself, wiping the tears from Emma's cheeks with her own thumbs.

"Here, here!" Ruby cheered loudly, making Elsa laugh and they all moved to surround Emma in a group hug.

Maybe this thing with Killian wasn't real, and maybe it didn't need to be. She could have fun with these little 'dates' they had planned. She would be showing pieces of herself in a no pressure environment. Killian knew there were no expectations except to put on a show in front of her friends and at the wedding. Maybe this could be the kind of rebound she needed to finally move on with her life.

The women laughed and disentangled themselves from one another, moving on to chat about other things in their lives and current events, simply enjoying one another's company. Emma told them about her night with the jerk who pushed her down, Elsa talked about what she had planned for her final year of medical school come fall, Ruby talked about Victor, and Mary Margaret talked about what they were going to do at the lake, which happened to be the same as most every year. The clock was nearing midnight when Elsa yawned, causing a chain reaction amongst the others and they agreed to call it a night, promising to get together before the lake again.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: So this is a day late, I'm sure you've noticed, and I am so super sorry for that. These last couple of days have gotten away from me and my attention was on a billion other things. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it cuz it's (fake) date night part one! Woo! Super huge thanks to @superchocovian for being an awesome beta for this story (her help was seriously invaluable) and also to @artistic-writer who makes the AMAZING art specific to each chapter for this fic. And she took time out to be my third set of eyes on this fic as well! Basically, she's the best. And thanks to y'all for reading this! Your comments really make my day and I'm so glad you're liking it so far. Thanks so much!

Chapter 4

Emma had taken the rest of the week off from the office, working from her laptop at home when necessary and forwarding her calls to her cell, but things were thankfully quiet. Perks of being your own boss. She'd barely been able to get her kid at the table with a bowl of cereal and a cup of reheated coffee into herself, looking forward to a relaxing morning before she dropped Henry off with Elsa that afternoon so she could go meet Killian, when there was a knock at her door. Groggily, she dragged herself to the door to answer it, regretting it immediately once the door swung open.

"Good morning, sunshine!" Ruby singsonged, grinning from ear to ear. Emma shook her head, not sure if she was actually seeing Ruby, or if she was hallucinating.

"Ruby, it is nine in the morning. How are you even functional?" Emma asked and Ruby scoffed, pushing her way into the apartment.

"I was supposed to work the breakfast shift this morning. Granny scheduled Ashley too and we were a little slow so she told me to go. So I thought I'd do brunch with my favorite Swans," she said, making her way into the kitchen and ruffling Henry's hair.

"We're your only Swans, Aunt Ruby," Henry said rather than a greeting, mouth full of Cocoa Puffs. Emma gave her son a warning look for talking with his mouth full and he ducked his head with a small smile.

"That doesn't make you any less my favorite," she replied, fixing herself a cup of coffee.

"I can't, I'm supposed to meet-" she stopped short and glanced at her son, realizing she almost mentioned Killian in front of the curious boy before changing course and continuing, "uh, someone for coffee at two." Ruby's answering smile could have powered Times Square.

"Oh my god! What are you going to wear?" she squealed.

"I don't know, just whatever, I guess. It's just coffee," Emma said dismissively, definitely not wanting to discuss her potential fake date clothes with the Queen of Fashion Ruby Lucas. She really didn't want to discuss this at all in front of Henry.

"Just coffee?" She wrinkled her nose in disapproval. "Is it too late to turn this into a dinner date? Ooh, we could go shopping!"

"You're going on a date, Mom?" Henry asked as he placed his bowl into the kitchen sink. If Emma's eyes got any wider, they would have fallen out of her head. She looked, terrified, between Ruby, whose face was coloring rapidly, and her son, whose eyes were looking back up at his mother expectantly.

"I mean, it's not really a date, per se," she said evasively. Her son quirked an eyebrow, a behavior she knew he got from her, that said he did not believe her in the slightest.

"Just tell him, Emma," Ruby said softly. Emma glared at her friend who looked apologetic but encouraging all at once.

"Tell me what…?" Henry asked slowly. Emma let out a large sigh, gripping her son lightly by the shoulders.

"Yes, I'm going on a date, Henry," she said softly. Henry's face fell slightly.

"Oh."

This wasn't the reaction she imagined. She thought there would be a reaction, at least.

"Are you okay with that, Henry?" Ruby asked. Henry nodded, eyes cast to the floor.

"Hey, what's the matter, kid? You know you can talk to me," Emma prompted, kneeling to the floor in front of him. He brought his hazel eyes up to meet her jade and Emma was surprised to see there were tears gathering at his lash line.

"Dad is dating Tamara and he doesn't want to spend time with me anymore. And now you won't either," he said, lower lip starting to wobble. Emma felt like someone punched her in the gut. Fucking Neal. She shuffled closer to Henry, and put her hands firmly on his shoulders.

"Henry, listen to me very carefully. No matter how many dates I go on, no matter what happens in my life, even if I'm dating, you will always be the most important person in it. I will always have time for you," she said, meeting her son's watery gaze.

"You promise?" Henry whispered. Emma nodded immediately, earnestly.

"Swear," she whispered back, then seized her son in a fierce hug, which he returned just as tightly. Emma heard sniffling behind her and found Ruby with her back turned, wiping furiously at her eyes. When the brunette turned back around, her heavy makeup was smeared, making her look slightly raccoon-ish. Emma stood and faced her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think," Ruby said, and Emma knew she meant it. She softened and hugged her friend. They pulled apart and Ruby looked at Henry, smiling gently. "What do you say I treat you and your mom to lunch in the park and your mom can reschedule her date for tonight, and while she's doing that, you can spend the night at Aunt Ruby's?" Emma made a noise of protest at the sudden change before her son cut in.

"Really? Can we stay up late and watch a movie? With popcorn?" Henry asked excitedly.

"Whatever you want, buddy. As long as it's okay with your mom," she added and Henry looked up to his mother, eyes shining brightly.

"Please, Mom? Please?" he begged and Emma couldn't say no to the look on his face. If Killian was busy, she would just occupy herself another way.

"Alright, kid, turn off the puppy dog eyes. Go get dressed and then we can go in a little bit. I've got a couple calls to make and then we can go in a little bit," she said and Henry whooped before running to his room.

"I'm gonna go clean all this up," Ruby said, waving a splayed-finger hand in the direction of her face and the ruined makeup on it. "Be back in a sec." Emma nodded and retrieved her phone as soon as she left the room to call Killian. He answered on the second ring.

"Swan," he said in greeting. "I was just about to call you. Are we still on for coffee, love?"

"Hey, yeah, uh, so something came up and I don't think I can make coffee this afternoon but I wanted to see if you were free tonight? For dinner…" she added unnecessarily. There was silence on the other end of the line. "What am I saying, of course you're busy, uh, forget I asked. We can do something another time," she babbled.

"Swan!" he interrupted. "I was just surprised, is all. I have no plans. I would love to take you out for dinner, on one condition," he said and Emma held her breath. "You let me plan the evening."

"I can plan a date," she grumbled.

"Oh, of that I have no doubt, Swan, but I know how to plan an evening as well, and I have something in mind. Trust me?"

"Okay," she relented after only a moment. "My son will be at my friend's house tonight so you can just meet me here. I'll text you the address."

"Sounds perfect, love. I'll pick you up at seven," he said. Emma confirmed and hung up as quickly as she could, her heart pounding in her chest harder than she expected it to.

This felt a lot like a real date, and that prospect terrified her. If she was going to do this, she might as well do it right though. She didn't know if she had anything remotely date worthy in her closet besides the red dress he had already seen her in.

This was getting too close to real.

Before she could expand on that thought, Henry, fully dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and Ruby, makeup now immaculately back in place, reentered the room.

"Looks like it's just you now, Emma. Get dressed and we can go get some grub," she instructed.

"Yeah, about that," Emma said, pausing to chew her lip nervously. "What if we made this a shopping-slash-lunch date after all?" Ruby's face lit up like Christmas.

"Of course! I am so excited!" She rushed Emma back to her room to get ready to go.

Eight hours, two pizzas, seven stores, and an anxious mess of an Emma Swan later, it was six thirty. Emma paced the floor as Ruby followed her around, holding up various pieces of jewelry against the black lace dress she was wearing. The gold slip layer underneath just barely peeked through the sheer black fabric, the skirt swishing around her thighs. The sleeveless design gave her the option to wear her red leather jacket with it, but she probably wouldn't. It was warm outside and the jacket was a little bulky. She should be fine.

"I think just the earrings, don't you think?" Ruby held up a pair of dainty dangling silver earrings and Emma nodded absently. Ruby frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just nervous, I guess," she said. Although, why she was nervous, she had no idea. This wasn't a real date, as she had reminded herself several times throughout the day. Ruby smiled gently and fluffed the golden curls cascading over Emma's shoulder.

"Don't be nervous. You're going to knock his socks off," she replied with a grin.

"You should be gone already," Emma said, diverting the conversation away from herself. "He's going to be here in half an hour and Henry is supposed to be gone."

"I know, I know, I just-"

A sharp knock sounded from the front door. Emma looked at the clock (6:49 it read), then back to Ruby. Where had the last nineteen minutes gone?! Emma looked at Ruby, panicked.

"It's fine. It's okay, just breathe, I'll keep Henry in the bedroom until you leave and I'll lock up after I go," Ruby soothed and then darted off towards the bedrooms. Emma put her earrings in as she walked and opened the door to a sinful looking Killian Jones.

Clad in black head to toe, he looked every inch as gorgeous as the day at the diner almost a week ago. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, the button down front open a few buttons below the collar but above the 'v' of where the black leather waistcoat wrapped around his middle. His jeans were just on the right side of tight and Emma could see why he had chosen the profession he had. The man was walking sex if she ever saw it.

"You look stunning, Swan," he murmured genuinely and Emma smiled softly back.

"You look…" she trailed off, lost for words.

"I know," he replied, a cheeky grin creeping over his features and Emma rolled her eyes.

"I just need to grab my purse and we can go," Emma said, turning away.

"Mom?" A small voice came from the direction of the kitchen and Emma felt her heart drop into her stomach.

"Henry!" Ruby's voice came from the direction of the bedrooms on the other end of the apartment, but it was too late. Henry walked towards his mother, a green plastic cup of water in his hand.

"Is this him?" Henry asked archly, appraising Killian from head to toe. Emma flushed bright red and she sputtered a few vowel sounds out, not knowing how to respond. Before she could fully answer, Killian was sinking down on one knee in front of the boy.

"Hello, Henry, I'm Killian," he said, holding out his hand for Henry to shake. Henry looked at his outstretched appendage for a moment before grasping it in his tiny hand that wasn't occupied with his cup and shaking. "That's quite a grip you've got lad," Killian said with a smile.

"Are you taking my mom on a date?" he asked, still wary of this strange man in the doorway, setting his drink on the table next to him. Emma and Ruby both stood frozen, unsure of what to do.

"Aye, lad. If it's alright with you that I borrow her for a few hours, of course?" It came out as a question, putting all the power in Henry's hands. Henry contemplated it for a moment.

"What are you guys gonna do?" he asked. Killian smiled warmly at him.

"Well first," he pulled his hand from behind his back, revealing the single red rose in it that Emma hadn't noticed before, "I'd like to give this to your mum." He looked up at Emma but didn't rise, only extending his hand to offer her the flower. She accepted it with shaking fingers. "A beautiful flower for a magnificent woman," he said to Emma, adding a wink. Emma flushed the color of the rose at the display. "Then, I'd planned on taking her for a nice meal and I thought we would do some stargazing," he continued. Alarm bells were going off in Emma's head.

Did he do this with all of his clients?!

A soft "Aww!" came from Ruby in her corner and Emma shot her a death glare.

"Are you gonna kiss her?" Henry asked, face twisted in disgust at the thought of kissing, making Emma's head snap back to the scene before her.

"Perhaps, if she wants to be kissed. But I promise to return her home to you no later than eleven," he said, holding up his hand in a vow.

"That's late," Henry said. "But I'm spending the night at Aunt Ruby's tonight. So I won't be here. We were supposed to leave already but Aunt Ruby goes crazy when she gets to dress my mom up." Killian laughed at that.

"Well she has dressed your mother very nicely tonight, don't you think?" he asked, a twinkle in his eye as his gaze swept appreciatively over Emma's form.

"Mom always looks pretty. But she is really pretty tonight," he said and Emma smiled at her son's words. Killian slowly rose from the floor and brushed the wrinkles from himself.

"Aye, that she is. I think it's about time we go, lad. By your leave, of course," Killian said.

"I guess so. But if you make her cry like my dad, my uncle David will beat you up," Henry said seriously and Emma wanted to dissolve into the floor. Killian looked back at Henry just as seriously.

"I have no intention of ever hurting your mother, Henry, you have my word," he promised. Henry seemed satisfied with his answer and nodded before wrapping himself around his mother's waist. Emma hugged him back tightly, cradling his head close to her stomach. Ruby met them in the entryway and took the rose from Emma's hand to go put into water.

"Be good for Aunt Ruby," she said, leaning down to kiss the top of his head. He unwrapped himself and gave her a small smile before walking over to where Ruby was setting the flower on the kitchen counter.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Ruby called out to them and Killian chuckled next to Emma.

"Nice to see you again, Ruby," he called back to her, placing his hand on the small of Emma's back. Her skin tingled at the contact, even through her clothes.

"Call me if you need anything, I'll have my phone on," Emma said and Ruby rolled her eyes.

"I've watched Henry a thousand times before Emma. Get outta here. Have fun!" she practically commanded, steering Henry out of the room by his shoulders, leaving Emma and Killian alone.

Emma looked up at him, frazzled to her core, before snatching her clutch purse from the table next to Henry's forgotten water cup and darting out the door. She was thankful that went as well as it did, but she was still apprehensive about Killian's reaction to the whole thing. She supposed she should have been more wary of how easily he slipped into the role of doting boyfriend, especially in front of her son and best friend, but on the other hand, that's exactly what she was paying him for. At least she was getting her money's worth.

"I meant it, Swan, you truly look stunning tonight," Killian said softly to her as he walked closely beside her down the hall.

"Thank you," she said, feeling his gaze weigh heavily on her skin as they got into the elevator and she pressed the button for the ground floor. "And thank you for being so nice to Henry. I really appreciate that. I didn't mean for that to happen."

"So I gathered, love," he replied with a chuckle. "It was no problem. Henry is a wonderful lad."

"He is," she agreed with a fond smile. "But still, you shouldn't have had to put on an act so soon. I wasn't planning on having people over when you arrived." He looked at her her, a puzzled expression sweeping over his face as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened.

"An act?" he asked. "Did I say something wrong?" His genuinely confused tone gave Emma pause as they left the building. She stopped and looked up at him in the moonlight.

"No, no, you said all the right things, it's just, you know, this isn't real," she said, the words feeling a lot more blunt in her mouth than intended. Killian's face softened and a flash of something close to longing flickered through his gaze.

"I'm aware, Swan, but I didn't need to put on an act. Everything I said to the lad was true, love," he told her, and Emma's eye widened as his words sunk in. Before she could protest (or run back upstairs and away from this), he replaced his hand at the small of her back and guided her to a car that was parked on the street. Emma stopped dead in her tracks at the vehicle.

This is a seriously nice car, she thought to herself, looking over the gunmetal gray and black striped '68 Chevelle parked on the curb. She shouldn't have been surprised. A guy that looks like Killian Jones and does what he does can afford a car like this. He didn't seem to notice how enamored she was with his vehicle as he swept around her and opened the passenger door with a bow.

"Your carriage, milady," he said, smiling. Emma suppressed a smile of her own, thanked him softly, and sat down in the passenger seat. The inside of the car was just as nice, well maintained, and it all looked original. Emma was a big fan of the vintage vehicle already.

Killian came around and got in the driver's seat, smiling widely at her, and started up the car. Emma clenched her thighs together at the low rumble of the engine. Holy shit this was a sexy car. About as sexy as the man driving it. Wait, what?

She chanced a glance at Killian, his blue eyes intently focused on the road, the sunset illuminating his features perfectly. The orange light highlighted the ginger whiskers in his beard and his hands were locked loosely around the steering wheel, his forearms flexing whenever they made a turn. He was painfully attractive.

In another life, maybe, she thought wistfully.

"Admiring the view, love?" He smirked and Emma blushed at having been caught staring.

"I was just wondering how a guy gets a car like this," she deflected easily. His expression sobered slightly with the question and he took a deep breath.

"She was my father's car. He left when I was eight. My mother gave her to me for my sixteenth birthday and I restored her myself," he said, pride swelling in his tone.

"'Her'?" Emma teased and Killian looked at her slyly from the corner of his eye.

"Aye. Sleek, beautiful, powerful, The Jolly was bound to be a woman." He winked.

"'The Jolly'? You named your car?" she asked and Killian's cheeks developed twin red spots on the apples of them that sent a thrill through Emma. Now it was her turn to make him blush.

"Aye," he admitted. "I've always had a fondness for pirates, and what better name for the finest vessel in all the lands than The Jolly Roger?" A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips and Emma couldn't help but smile back as they pulled into the parking lot of a very chic looking restaurant Emma had never been to before.

Wonderland was a building made of glass and wood that was set against the backdrop of the nearby harbor. Emma was immediately taken aback by the upper class atmosphere. She didn't think at any point in her life she had been to a restaurant this nice. Growing up in foster care didn't afford her those kinds of luxuries, and struggling with Neal, there was never another opportunity. She did well for herself now, but she wasn't sure she wanted to drop $100 a plate on cuisine. Killian seemed to sense her apprehension and slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her close.

"Trust me," he murmured in her ear before pulling away to open the door for her.

When they entered the room, Emma had to stifle a gasp. There was a huge chandelier hung in the center of the room, bathing the space in a soft glow. There were several people dining already, all of them dressed to the nines, leaving Emma feeling slightly inadequate. The black and white decor was very modern chic and there was a large white piano in the center of the room where soft music was being played by a man in a tuxedo, complete with top hat. Killian led her past the several people waiting straight to the hostess podium. There was a slightly bored looking blonde who couldn't have even been 21 yet making notes in the reservation book, but her eyes lit up in recognition as Killian and Emma moved closer.

"Mr. Jones! It's been forever!" she gushed and Killian gave her a fond smile.

"Grace? Look at you! I can't believe how grown up you are!" Killian grinned and the girl stepped around the podium to accept a hug from him. "Home from university, then?" he asked and Grace nodded.

"Only for the summer. Freshman year was amazing, but I missed home. And you know Dad, he gets a little crazy when I'm not close." Grace rolled her eyes and Killian chuckled.

"He loves you very much. And I'm sure he's thrilled you're home."

"He's around here somewhere, let me go grab him and we can get a table set up for you and your… date?"

Killian reached for Emma automatically.

"Where are my manners? Grace Hightopp, this is the lovely Emma Swan," he introduced the two and Grace beamed at Emma, reaching out to shake her hand. Emma had remained in awkward silence to this point, but returned the handshake warmly.

"It's nice to meet you," she said.

"It's so good to meet you, too! You are really pretty, Killian is a lucky guy!" she replied and Emma felt a deep flush settle under her skin. It seemed 'tomato' was the shade she would remain at for the evening at least. "I'm going to go get my dad. I'll be right back!" Before they could reply, Grace scurried off in the direction of the piano.

"This is a lot, Killian," Emma murmured after she left, shifting on her feet. Killian looked down at her, studying her expression.

"I know it seems that way, Swan, and I'm asking you to put your trust in me often tonight, but there's nowhere else I could take you that would be what you deserve," he said so sincerely that Emma's breath caught in her throat.

"I've never been somewhere this nice," she admitted softly.

"You deserve it, love," he insisted, sparkling blue eyes boring into her anxious green. "And it's my treat."

"Well, technically, it's mine," she muttered, thinking of the envelope tucked into her purse. His expression wavered slightly at that, almost ashamed, and Emma felt slightly guilty at the unintentional barb.

"Killian Jones!" A bright voice rang out over the din of conversation and clinking utensils around them, breaking the awkward tension that had settled between the two. The man with the top hat who was playing the piano previously made their way towards him, Grace by his side, grinning broadly.

"Jefferson," Killian greeted, a smile of his own in place, and the two men seized each other in a hug that only two good friends would share.

"It's been way too long, my friend. How's Liam?" he asked, his tone serious, as they broke apart. Killian's expression turned slightly forlorn.

"He's doing better. Much better," he said, something darker and pained flitting over his features.

Emma studied him, concerned. She had yet to see him anything but bright, happy, and flirtatious. Tonight, though, he had been an array of emotion, and she felt almost as if she was seeing Killian Jones for the first time. She briefly wondered who Liam was, and what happened to him, but now was not the time or place to ask.

"That's very good," Jefferson replied, clapping Killian on the shoulder. "Bring him in sometime, yeah? And who is this?" he said, not unkindly, turning his attention to Emma with a wide smile.

"This is Emma Swan," Killian said, looking down at her affectionately, leaving Emma feeling unsettled and warm.

"Mr. Jones' date," Grace piped in helpfully. Jefferson gave his daughter an adoring smile before his grin turned sly as his eyes, then his head, turned towards Killian.

"Enchante, mademoiselle." Jefferson scooped up Emma's hand and bowed his head to it, leaving a firm kiss on the back of it. "Such a pleasure to meet you."

"You as well," Emma returned politely. "This place is… amazing," she complimented, gesturing to the restaurant.

"It's my greatest accomplishment in life. Next to my Grace, of course." He released Emma's hand and pulled his now blushing daughter close by her shoulders. "She's going to be a lawyer, you know," he said, his chest puffing out with pride.

"If I survive regular college first," his daughter said, embarrassed.

"Nonsense. You're a Hightopp. You can do anything," he scolded playfully. "Let's get you two set up for your meal then, eh?" He turned his attention to a nearby waiter and gave instructions to lead them to a table. "On the house, Jones! Your money's no good here!" Jefferson commanded with a wave and a wink over his shoulder as he walked back to the piano in the middle of the room. Emma looked up at Killian who looked just as surprised as she felt. The waiter gestured for the two of them to follow him.

"I honestly didn't expect that, Swan, I swear to you. I'm not trying to seem cheap," he insisted as they walked, his hand once again finding its place on her lower back as if it belonged there.

"Killian, trust me, the last thing you seem in a place like this is cheap," she said with a chuckle, trying to ease his tension. She felt him relax slightly and he stepped around her to pull out her chair for her as they reached the table. She gave him a thankful glance that quickly turned exasperated when he waggled his eyebrows at her. The Casanova mask was back in place. Instead of seating himself across the table from her, as expected, he chose the seat next to her, scooting the chair closer. The waiter waited patiently to the side, placing menus in front of them.

"What can I start you with?" he asked, pad and pen at the ready.

"Whatever dry white you recommend, and a glass of water please," Emma asked, looking at Killian for his turn.

"Just a water for me, with a slice of lemon," he said, tongue playing at the corner of his mouth, eyes never leaving Emma's. She glanced down at her menu to avoid the intensity of his gaze, thankful for the cover it provided over the flush creeping up her collarbones. The waiter smiled and made his way to fill their drink order, leaving the two of them alone again.

The sounds of the other diners in the restaurant surrounded them, breaking through the silence that had descended between them. Emma hemmed and reached for her purse on the table next to her, Killian's eyes following the movement.

"So," she pulled the plain white envelope from the clutch and slid it across the table to him, "here is half of what we agreed on. Like a down payment, I guess? And I will give you the rest when this is done. Is that agreeable?" Killian arched a dark eyebrow and pulled the envelope to him, slipping it into the inner pocket of his vest. His face gave away nothing of what he was thinking and he barely gave the envelope a second glance.

"That's fine, love, as I said. No rush." He smiled at her warmly and reached over the table space to cover her hand with his, the metal of his rings smooth against her skin. Her brow furrowed as she surveyed his lack of expression.

"You're not going to count it?" she asked curiously. He hummed an almost laugh and his blue eyes crinkled in levity as he shook his head.

"I trust you, Swan," he said dismissively. "It's not of any consequence. I'm enjoying your company and I don't want to sully the mood by focusing on the business angle of this arrangement."

"There is no other angle, Jones," she reminded him. "This effectively is a business meeting." Killian's smile faded a bit at her words, but he recovered quickly with a nod.

"So you keep reminding me, darling," he said, a sour note coloring his words that he was obviously trying to hide. Emma found herself equal parts intrigued and surprised that this continued happening when they spoke. As if he wanted more…

"Okay! Here are your waters," a voice said, and Emma looked up to find the waiter had reappeared and was now setting two glasses on the table, one garnished with a lemon slice, then turned to wheel a bucket of ice closer, an expensive looking bottle of wine nestled among the cubes. "The bottle is at the insistence of Mr. Hightopp," he said with a grin as he pulled it free, uncorking it with a flourish. "Would you like to sample it before I pour?"

"No, no, this is fine, I'm sure," Emma protested, and the waiter didn't seem fazed at all as he turned over the wine glass in front of her and poured. "That's plenty, thank you." She stopped him about midway. He smiled with a nod.

"Tonight's specials are oysters on the half shell with a ceviche topping, and a smoked salmon and citrus salad with poppy seed dressing. Are we ready to order?" he asked, removing the pad and pen from the black apron at his waist and looked at them intently. Killian placed his folded menu near the waiter and Emma did the same.

"The salad is fine, please," Emma said and the waiter hurriedly scribbled it down, looking to Killian next.

"Aye, the oysters sound perfect," Killian replied.

"Very good, I'll have those out for you in just a bit." And then he was gone before they could even thank him.

"Are you sure you don't want any wine? I can't possibly drink that all by myself," she said, lifting her glass to her lips. Flavor exploded on her tongue with just the small sip and her eyebrows shot up on her forehead. "Plus, that is really good." She put her glass down and licked her lips, savoring the taste. She looked back to Killian, his eyes now a shade darker and fixed to her mouth. It was almost as if he had to force his gaze back to meet hers.

"Ah, no, love. I'm fine. Driving," he reasoned with a shrug. "You can have as much as you like."

"Trying to get me drunk, Jones?" Emma teased and Killian brightened at her tone.

"Afraid you'll find me even more irresistible after a few libations, love?" Killian's grin was downright lascivious. Emma rolled her eyes and took a long pointed drink from her glass.

"I think you're safe from my wanton advances," she snarked. Killian chuckled.

"Of course, Swan. All business, I've forgotten myself," he teased back and sat straighter, knitting his nimble fingers together. "Have at it, then. Tell me everything I need to know." Emma was slightly taken aback by the change in course from flirty to business, but she cleared her throat and sat a little straighter herself before speaking.

"Alright, then. I think we should keep things as close to the truth as possible. That should make this whole thing easier. We met in a bar, you offered to buy me a drink, I hated your horrible pick up lines, but thought you were cute enough that I called you the next day and we've been seeing each other in secret ever since." She nodded briskly, satisfied with this story.

"You think I'm cute?" Killian's eyes were glittering with mirth, making Emma groan.

"That would be the part you picked out. This is serious."

"Of course, love, apologies. And what of this ex boyfriend? Neal, was it? What do I know of him?"

Emma shifted uncomfortably at the mention of his name, the jab at Neal's maturity not going unnoticed.

"Ah, well… obviously you know he's Henry's father."

"And he is clearly a sodding imbecile for tossing you aside after ten years and a child together," he nearly growled, and Emma's head popped up at his change in voice. He seemed to remember himself fairly quickly and smiled at her again. "Go on," he encouraged.

"Uh, yeah. Well, nine years. I'd been with him since I was seventeen. Ran away from foster care and met him while I was trying to steal a car. One he'd already stolen and was sleeping in the backseat of." She couldn't help the embarrassed chuckle that spilled from her lips and avoided Killian's gaze as she took another sip of liquid courage.

"No family, then, love?" he asked softly and Emma felt unbidden anger rise up in her chest.

"Hey, I have family," she snapped, stabbing her finger into the tablecloth to mark her words. "I have a brother and friends and Henry and they're all the family I need. Blood doesn't mean shit."

"I meant no offense, Swan, truly," he said soothingly, taking her hand in his again and unfurling her tightly grasped fingers. He smoothed his fingertips over her palm. "I've little family myself. My own brother is the last bit of blood I have left. I understand. Please, continue." His eyes were large and sincere and Emma felt herself relax slightly.

"Yeah," she cleared away the tightness in her throat with a cough, "well, David's not my blood either. We were in foster care together. He looked out for me, I looked out for him. We reconnected after Henry was born while Neal was gone but I was stupid and almost lost him again a couple of years ago."

"When Neal was gone? I thought you've only been separated for a year?" he asked, confused. Emma blushed again.

The waiter picked that moment to return to their table. He deposited their plates in front of them and quietly excused himself, seemingly noticing he was intruding on a sensitive moment.

"Uh, ha. I keep revealing these things to you out of order. Let's just start from the beginning," she said, pushing the food around on her plate. "Just… let me get it all out, though, okay? It's not a fun story to tell, and I don't think I've told it to anyone all at once." Killian nodded, his expression serious, and when Emma was sure he wouldn't interrupt, she began.

She told him everything, from the fact that she was found on the side of the road as a newborn, and never met her parents, to bouncing around in foster homes, to allying with David, meeting Ruby and Elsa, to meeting and falling in what she thought was love with Neal. She told him about almost giving Henry up, Neal leaving and returning, cutting out her friends for him, and working her ass off for a better life because she wanted to give him what he wanted. She told him about Tamara. She told him about the affair and how soon he proposed and sent out wedding invitations. She told him everything.

By the end of it all, Killian had pushed their untouched plates aside and took one of her hands in both of his. She was trembling, having just relived some of her worst moments in life. Killian had listened in rapt attention to all of it, his eyes lighting up in fury in some moments, darkening in sorrow the next, even twinkling with affection and fondness when she spoke of her brother and friends. But never pity. And, true to his word, he never interrupted. It felt very… freeing to tell someone without judgement or fear of repercussions.

"So that's it. Now you know it all," she said with a forced lightness in her words. She smiled tightly at him. He regarded her for a long moment and she tried not to squirm under his gaze.

"Tell me a good memory you had. One memory that doesn't involve someone else. Just you," he said suddenly, taking her by surprise once again. Out of all the things he could have said, she wasn't expecting that. She thought for a moment.

"I remember the first time I went to the beach," she said, eyes glazing slightly at the memory. "I was fourteen and I remember we travelled three hours to the Maine coast in a minivan that smelled like wet dog and throw up with six too loud kids piled on top of each other. The sky was getting overcast by the time we got there, and we almost turned around and went back to the group home. One of the counselors convinced the other that we came all this way so we might as well enjoy it while we could. I remember the second my feet hit the sand, I was running. I ran until my toes hit the water. I'd never felt so free and happy. It gave me something to hang on to, and I escaped to the beach whenever I could. It still makes me feel free."

"That's what makes you amazing, Swan. You can always find the light in the darkness," Killian replied, smiling warmly at her. She blushed, and picked up her fork and they ate in companionable silence, Killian's hand still wrapped firmly around hers.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: It's Friday! And part two of date night for Emma and Killian! We learn a lot more about Killian and his background here and it becomes a little spicy meatball at the end. Nothing crazy lol. Thank you so much to @superchocovian for being an AMAZING beta for this story and thank you to @artistic-writer who has made every single awesome piece of art for this story and listened to me whine and fret over it on the daily for nearly a month while looking it over with me and being basically a second beta as well lol. And thanks to you all as well, lovely readers! I love how much you guys are enjoying this story already and I hope it continues to be something y'all like! Here's chapter 5!

Chapter 5

When they wrapped up their meal, Jefferson and Grace both bid them farewell, Jefferson outright refusing the money that Killian tried to leave (taken from his wallet, not the envelope, she'd noticed) and they made their way out into the night. Emma shivered slightly as they reached the car. Killian only unlocked his door, his hand on her back again leading her where he went, dropping the remainder of the bottle of wine in the backseat and unconsciously (or maybe very consciously) giving Emma a great view of his ass. He pulled a jacket free from the backseat and draped it over her shoulders, glancing nervously at her feet.

"What?" she asked, smirking slightly.

"I'm afraid I didn't think this part of our evening through very well. As lovely as those heels are, darling, I don't know if your feet would endure a walk to the docks in them." He smiled up at her sheepishly. Emma was puzzled. His smile warmed at her confused expression. "I did promise you stargazing, love, and I have some things I want you to know about me as well. In case it should come up, of course." He winked.

"I'll have you know I've ran in heels quite a few times before. One of the hazards of private investigation," she retorted in mock indignation, unconsciously snuggling into the leather and spice scent surrounding her. Killian gazed down at her, a soft look overcoming his features as he took in the action. Emma eyed him curiously. "What?" She blinked up at him and he shook his head with a smile.

"Nothing, Swan, I was just lost in thought for a moment," he said smoothly. Emma didn't believe him for a second, but he moved on nonetheless. "Well, love, if you feel like your feet are up to it, it's just a short walk." He shot her a dazzling smile and placed his hand back on her lower back to guide her.

They walked in comfortable silence towards the pier next to the restaurant, the boats lining the docks all put to bed for the night. It was still relatively early and there were a few other couples like themselves out walking along the waterfront or late boaters finishing up their docking. But it was quiet. Peaceful. Killian's hands had dropped into his pockets and Emma's were clasped around her purse, resting against her abdomen. Every now and again, their arms would brush, making Emma feel warm all over. They stopped in front of a boat moored near the end of the docks. Emma looked at Killian in question, but he only smiled and stepped on board, extending a hand to help her up as well.

"So if your car is the Jolly Roger, does this make this the Queen Anne's Revenge?" Emma teased and Killian pulled a grimace. "Or maybe not." She laughed outright and his face lit back up at the sound.

"No, definitely not. We would never sully this beautiful lady by associating her with the likes of Blackbeard. This gorgeous ship is the Jewel of the Realm." He waggled his eyebrows at her and left to dig through a cubby concealed under a nearby bench for something.

Emma looked around. The Jewel of the Realm was a smaller boat compared to those around them, but it was much more well maintained, and its size certainly didn't keep Killian from referring to it as a ship. The rustle of fabric in the night air drew her attention back to Killian. He was finishing smoothing out a worn flannel blanket on the deck, illuminated by nothing except the light of the moon and stars.

"It's awfully dark out here. Are you sure you're not a serial killer?" Her eyes were teasing and she hid a smirk in the jacket still draped around her shoulders.

"If I were, it would be too late for you then, wouldn't it?" He led her to the blanket and sat down, patting the spot beside him. Emma sank down into it, watching him from the side of her eye and folding her legs neatly beneath her.

"Perhaps. Planning to dump my body at sea, are you?" She smiled and looked up at the sky. The stars were bright here away from the city lights, more plentiful than she had ever seen.

"You seem to have it all figured out. Are you sure you're not the serial killer here, love?" He thumbed his bottom lip, hiding a smile of his own. She shrugged.

"For the right price, perhaps I could be," she replied, paraphrasing his words from their first encounter. He looked shocked for a moment, then gave her a megawatt smile.

"I guess we'll just have to trust one another, won't we?" he said softly and Emma only hummed in response.

Killian watched her looking at the stars for another moment, seemingly enraptured by the moment. His gaze went unnoticed by Emma, her attention only drawn back to him when he stretched dramatically and laid backwards, his head pillowed on his folded arms.

She looked down at him and he glanced pointedly back to the spot beside him, silently urging her to lay with him. She rolled her eyes and shrugged the jacket from her shoulders, folding it and putting it down as a pillow for herself. She shifted to lay flat, her movements greatly exaggerated as if inconvenienced. They both knew she wasn't.

"That there is the North Star. Polaris." Killian pointed above him, his arm slipping from beneath his head, and Emma turned to follow his line of sight. "It makes up the last star in the constellation of the Little Dipper. And here," he moved his arm so it extended slightly over his body, Emma's head turning automatically and bumping into his shoulder, "is Orion. You can see the three stars that form his belt."

"There?" Emma pointed alongside him and Killian reached up to grasp her suspended wrist to adjust her.

"There." His fingers slipped down over the length of her arm as he released her, causing goosebumps to erupt in their wake. The smug bastard knew exactly what he was doing. Emma scooched over slightly, rolling on her side and propping herself on her elbow, leaving a bit more space between them. Killian didn't lift himself from the deck, but he did turn his face to hers, anticipating whatever it seemed she wanted to say.

"You know a lot about this stuff," she said.

"Royal Navy, love. You'd be surprised what they still teach there." He smiled. "Not a lot of money to be made in the service, though. So Liam and I came here after I discharged and… well, after I discharged. Chasing the American Dream and all that." His gaze took on a far off quality, his expression almost pained.

"Who's Liam? Jefferson asked about him, too, back at the restaurant."

"He's my brother. My older, more pompous, less handsome, know-it-all brother," he told her, huffing a small laugh through his nose.

"Sounds like an older brother," she replied. "Does he know what you do?" she asked after a moment, her words slow and careful. He shook his head no, now rolling onto his side facing her, mirroring her position propped on his elbow.

"No, he doesn't. But I do it entirely for him." His eyes hardened slightly, his features drawing taut for a moment. Emma was surprised by this and just a little more curious than she should have been.

"You fuck random women for your brother?" she blurted and Killian guffawed a startled laugh.

"God, no, Swan. That part's for me," he teased, raking his eyes over her form. Emma sighed heavily and adjusted herself into a sitting position, legs carefully kept closed beneath her skirt, like a proper lady. Mary Margaret would have been so proud. "It's the financial aspect that's for my brother. He had been unwell for a time. Leukemia. He's been in remission two years now, but he was sick for five," he said, moving to sit beside her.

"I'm so sorry." She laid a sympathetic hand on Killian's arm as he turned his focus out over the dark water surrounding them. Blindly, he took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles, almost in thanks, before dropping their joined hands into the space between them.

"It was touch and go for a long time. I almost bloody lost him at least twice. It was a miraculous thing that he recovered like he did. I'd already lost my mother that way. It would have killed me to lose him, too. He's the only family I have left since Mum died." Killian looked lost in thought, his aura bleeding pain and heartbreak as he spoke. Emma shuffled closer to Killian and placed her hand on his shoulder, rubbing small circles over the fabric there. The wind picked up slightly and sea spray misted over the hull of the vessel, making her shiver involuntarily. The corner of Killian's mouth tugged up and he brought his arm around Emma's shoulders, pulling her into his side. Emma tensed at the unexpected action, but she couldn't help but relax as he started to speak again.

"You know, for one of the greatest countries in the world, you Yanks are shit at healthcare costs," he said, his tone wry but hidden in false jest. "We would have lost everything. But luckily I seem to have found my calling in a profitable field." The easy smile was back on his face and Emma could see him slipping back into his cocky playboy persona now as simply as if he was changing into a costume. Emma let it go. He didn't push her. She wouldn't push him. She reminded herself that this wasn't personal anyways.

"How do you even get into something like this?" she asked, pulling herself out from under his arm and turning to face him directly to hide the defensive maneuver. His eyes sparked with recognition at the motion anyways, but he said nothing about it, instead answering her question.

"Er, well I happened upon it quite by accident, actually," he admitted, his hand coming up to scratch behind his left ear, pink blooming over the apples of his cheeks and the pointed tips of his ears.

"You accidentally fell into her vagina? Or she accidentally paid you?" Emma asked on a laugh. Killian gave her a crooked sheepish smile.

"Scenario number two, I'm afraid." He chuckled. Emma's head whipped up to meet his, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Oh, this I have to hear. How do you accidentally get paid for sex?" She sat up on her knees, giving him her full attention, and he colored further, now a bright red.

"Well, Liam had just been in chemo for six months at that point. His finances were crumbling and he couldn't work. I moved in to help, but even with my salary working at the cannery and our pensions, we were barely staying afloat. I was out at a bar, sipping the cheapest rum they had, when I saw a woman sitting a few stools down from me," he said, his fingers coming to lace themselves together in his lap as he folded his legs in front of him. "She was alone. Beautiful. Long dark hair curling around her shoulders. Gorgeous blue grey eyes. She caught me staring and beckoned me over."

"Geez for an accidental hookup, you sure remember a lot about her."

"You never forget your first," he said and Emma swore his eyes blue eyes twinkled with their own mirthful light. "And is that a note of jealousy I hear, Swan?" The edges of those eyes crinkled with his grin.

"You wish."

"On every star, love. It's alright not to want to share." He winked.

"Okay, Rico Suave," she said, her eyes nearly rolling from their sockets. "Continue with how this lady paid you to get out of her bed."

"Oh, it had nothing to do with my prowess, darling. I'd be willing to give you a demonstration, should you be amenable." That damn sinful tongue of his swiped over his teeth and toyed with the corner of his mouth. Emma suppressed a shiver at the sight, refusing to let his antics crack her stony facade. She raised an eyebrow at him instead. "No? Well, we'll put a pin in that, then. In any case, this woman. She was older, recently divorced and the recipient of half her wealthy former husband's assets. She requested that I help her get started on spending it. I had twenty dollars to my name and that wasn't nearly enough to drown my sorrows with, so I agreed to keep her company. Plus it didn't hurt that she was easily the most beautiful woman up to that point that I'd ever seen." He sighed heavily at the memory.

"Bet there's been hundreds more beautiful after her," Emma said, pushing her now salt frizzed curls over her shoulder.

"None until you," he replied, catching her gaze and holding it for a moment, only a moment, the intensity of it too much for Emma to bear. She darted her eyes down to where her clutch purse lay next to the blanket they sat on, just to have something to focus on. "Now shush, it's story time." He grinned at her indignant scowl. "We ended up having a great night together, drinking, flirting, laughing. When we ended back at her flat, I thought we had really hit it off. Until the next morning. By the time I awoke, there was an envelope on the pillow next to me containing quite a bit of cash and a note telling me to see myself out, along with a stern warning that the premises were under surveillance and to refrain from stealing anything." He chuckled at the memory and Emma even felt a laugh of her own rise up in her throat. But, ridiculous as the story was, Emma's mind was preoccupied with just one tiny detail he'd glossed over.

"How much did she give you?" she asked, curious as to whether or not what she was paying him was sufficient. Killian froze for a moment before frowning exaggeratedly and sweeping his hand through the air dismissively.

"It wasn't much. I make more now," he admitted, and Emma relaxed slightly. He wouldn't have entertained this charade if it wasn't up to his apparently heightened standards. But his sidestep at an actual amount sent a tingle to the base of her skull, almost an alarm but not quite. "But at the time, it was more money than I'd ever seen for one day's work. It kind of snowballed from there." He reached up to rub the back of his neck, the redness in his cheeks having dissipated slightly, but not completely receded.

"And your brother doesn't know? He had to have noticed the increase in income. And I'm sure you didn't dress like this at the cannery." She motioned to his well clad body and he gave a rueful smile in response.

"He thinks I got a promotion to purchasing and sales for the cannery. And that I go on nearly weekly business trips on the weekends," he murmured, the shame of lying to his brother coloring his words. Emma's heart ached. She knew how it felt, the twisting guilt at lying to family. At least he had a good reason.

Emma's phone beeped loudly from her purse, stealing her attention. She gave Killian an apologetic half smile and retrieved the device from her clutch. It was a picture message from Ruby.

Henry lay on the couch next to her, wrapped up in his superhero jammies and a thin fuzzy blanket, head in Ruby's lap.

Down for the count! Hope you're having a good night! Do NOT interrupt your date to reply to this. Henry is fine.

Another ding.

And your apartment is empty so…

Emma's face wrinkled in confusion at the multitude of emojis that followed the text that appeared to be… an eggplant?

"Are you reading a text or trying to solve a Rubik's cube?" Killian asked, amusement in his voice once again.

"It's Ruby. I think her phone did something weird because she sent me this," Emma showed him the text. Killian's brows shot up nearly to his hairline and he laughed, a deep, rich belly laugh. Emma was more confused than ever.

"Uhh…" Killian seemed lost for words and he reached up to scratch at his ear again. "I believe she's implying that we should have relations, love. That's intended to indicate…" he trailed off and then made a circling motion with his hand in the general direction of his, well, eggplant. Emma's eyes widened and she felt a rush of blood flow into her face (and she would have been lying if she said it only went to her face).

"Oh," was all she could manage in her embarrassed haze. Killian chuckled again, the laughter stifled by his thumb and that only served to turn Emma's embarrassment into irritation. "Well I'm sorry I'm not the sexpert here," she snapped. Killian looked absolutely thrilled with the title she'd bestowed upon him.

"Sexpert? I think I rather prefer that. Maybe I should have new business cards made," he teased and Emma groaned, hoisting herself back onto her knees. Killian moved swiftly to stand and offered her a hand to help her up. "Maybe we should get you home. Back to your empty apartment." His smile was absolutely filthy and Emma tried to take a step back as she stood and stumbled, causing Killian to reach out on reflex and catch her around the waist, their torsos now pressed against one another. "Well it's about bloody time," he purred dipping his head. Emma put her hand on Killian's chest and pushed off of him, gently disentangling herself from his grip.

"I tripped," she pointed out, smoothing out the skirt of her dress and retrieving her clutch. "But we agree on one thing. I do need to get home. It's getting late." Killian nodded his agreement and began to clean up.

Once the blanket was stowed away and the leather jacket was safely back on her shoulders (his doing, of course), Killian helped her from the boat and led her back to his car. Emma's feet were finally starting to feel the strain of the evening, even with the temporary respite aboard the boat. He opened the passenger door, mimicking his bow from the start of this outing and Emma slipped behind it with a smile. She found she was much more comfortable with the gentleman, even if the scoundrel made her come alive inside. She stiffened and reinforced the walls around her heart against that notion.

The drive to her apartment building was mostly silent. When they parked, she opened her own door before he could make it around the car, and he gave her an adorable pout, but offered his arm all the same. She wasn't expecting him to walk her up, but she appreciated the gesture. As they approached her door on the fourth floor, awkward uncertainty began to set in. He had kissed her once before. Was he going to again? Emma wasn't entirely sure that would be a bad thing.

No, she thought to herself. Business.

"I had a wonderful evening with you, Swan," he said, and Emma turned to face him, back to her door. A small smile tugged at her lips, his sincere gaze prompting her honest response.

"I actually had a good time as well. For a business dinner." One of her shoulders lifted in a lighthearted shrug. Killian stepped closer to her, and Emma swallowed involuntarily as his cologne filtered back into her senses.

"Well I had to make sure you got your money's worth somehow, didn't I, love? What with the aubergine being off the menu," he quipped and Emma slapped his shoulder.

"You're damn right it is," she retorted, beginning to turn around to unlock her door. Killian's hand on her waist stopped her halfway and turned her back to him. Before she could say anything, or respond in any way, he was bending down and pressing a firm kiss to her cheek, just glancing the corner of her mouth. Surprise warred with offense in her brain before she settled on something akin to disappointment. "Uh, right. Good night then," she said, turning and unlocking her door more smoothly than she thought she was capable of and shutting it behind her. She pressed her back against the wood, and took a deep breath. It was good to be home.

One of the good things about her son not being home was she didn't have to worry about leading by example. That's how her shoes ended up scattered across the floor and her clutch ended up on the floor next to the table. She made her way into the kitchen barefoot, pulling bobby pins from her hair and leaving them in a heap on the counter and fluffing her wavy blonde locks free as they came out of their confines. The rose from earlier sat in tall glass of water on the surface, making Emma's stomach twist. She was about to get herself a glass of water when an insistent knock sounded at the door. Emma groaned. Elsa must have seen her come home and wanted to talk about her evening. She wasn't even sure how she felt about the sham date; she definitely didn't want to talk about it with anyone else.

She swung the door open and the words she had planned to unleash died in her throat as her eyes landed on someone who was very obviously not Elsa.

"Killian? Did you need something else?" she asked, mind flitting through her memories of the evening in case she'd forgotten something.

"Just one thing," he said, a steely determination in his gaze. And then he surged at her, burying one hand in her hair and wrapping his other arm around her waist, pulling her flush against him as he sealed his mouth over hers. She could only cling to his collar for dear life as he opened her mouth with a nudge of his scruff covered chin and plunged his tongue inside to taste and massage every inch of it like it was the last kiss he would ever have. Emma felt like she had burst into flame and before she knew it, her arms had come up to wind around his neck and she was kissing him back just as fervently.

Something close to a growl worked its way out of his throat and he pivoted her so she was pressed tightly between the wall of her entryway and the hard lines of his body. He continued to kiss her, intoxicating her senses so much she could barely keep up. She had never been kissed like this in all of her twenty seven years on the planet. They clung tightly to one another, her fingers threading through the hair at the nape of his neck and his fingertips digging into her ribcage from behind her.

He slowed his kisses, until he was just feathering his lips over hers, his hand slid from her hair to cup her cheek and his other loosely palming the curve of her waist now. She slid her knee down the length of his leg until her foot rested on the floor again, though she wasn't sure when she'd hooked it around his thigh. They were both breathing in each other's air, panting like they'd run a marathon.

"Good night, Swan," he breathed, only slightly more than a murmur against her lips. He planted one more soft but lingering kiss on her mouth and finally pulled away, leaving Emma completely dumbfounded in his wake. He smiled one last pleased (and slightly wrecked) smile at her before seeing himself back out the still open door, shutting it behind him.

Emma stayed where she was for minutes after he left in stunned silence, her back firmly pressed against the wall as if it were the only thing keeping her upright. It probably was. After a few moments, her knees had stopped shaking enough that she could push off the surface and walked in a trance to her room.

She walked around the space as if on autopilot, stripping her dress off and leaving it where it lay. She changed into an old ratty t-shirt and some pajama pants and climbed into bed, simply staring at the ceiling. The scene played over and over in her head and her fingers drifted up to skim over her lips on their own volition. Then it finally sunk in what had just happened.

Killian Jones had returned to her apartment specifically to kiss the holy hell out of her. She wasn't sure if she was angry or smitten. As soon as the notion popped in her head, she settled on angry. That emotion was one she could handle. The other, not so much.

He was about to get an earful.

She looked at her bedside table and realized that for the second time, after her second night in his company, she'd forgotten her phone in her purse. There was no way she was getting out of bed to get it now.

He would get an earful tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hey guys! I'm so sorry about the delay on this one. If you follow me on Tumblr then you know it's been a bit of a roller coaster week for me but we made it out on the other side! So! Here we are at chapter 6! And we are off to the lake! But not before some stuff happens ;) Ginormous thank you to the ever lovely @superchocovian who was an amazing beta for this thing that was supposed to be a oneshot once upon a time lol and thank you thank you to @artistic-writer for all her help when words were being mean to me and for all the awesome art on the previous chapters! And the very biggest thanks to every single one of y'all reading this story. Your comments and love on this little thing never fail to make my day. Away we go!

 **Chapter 6**

It felt like no sooner had she closed her eyes that she was waking once more, something tickling her nose. She tried to brush it away with the back of her hand. Then she heard the giggling. Very close giggling. She opened her eyes to see her son's face a mere two inches from her own. She nearly jumped out of her own skin.

"Holy ffffffffudge, Henry!" she shrieked, catching her swear word at the last second and grasping the pillows and blankets around her to keep herself from falling off the bed.

"G'mornin' Mom!" he shouted in her face, as eight year olds didn't always have the best volume control. He threw his small body over Emma's in a hug. Her body relaxed from its tensed state of fright and she returned the hug with one arm, the other supporting her weight on her elbow.

"Good morning to you, too, kid," she replied, her heart rate gradually returning to normal. Henry scrambled up to his feet. "Where's Aunt Ruby?" She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"In the living room! Let's goooooo! Get up, Mom!" Henry ran out of the room, letting her bedroom door clatter against the wall as he left, and Emma winced at the jarring rattle. She swung herself out of bed with a groan, coffee already on her mind. She glanced at the clock and realized it was already after ten.

Shuffling into the living room, she could already hear her son and Ruby engaged in a tickle fight on the couch. Ruby's head popped up above the cushions, wisps of chestnut and cherry hair floating around her head from static.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty!" she greeted, standing up off the couch where Henry was still trying to catch his breath amongst his laughter. Emma smiled at the sound. "Too bad this one didn't inherit your penchant for sleeping in, huh?"

"Neal's not an early riser, either, so I don't know where he gets it. I wish I could bottle that energy. I'd be a damn millionaire," she joked making her way into the kitchen to pour herself and Ruby a cup of coffee. She poured some orange juice into a coffee cup for Henry as well. Ruby and Henry followed her, Ruby coming to stand beside her and Henry seating himself at the kitchen table while she poured.

"Don't worry, I peeked in your room before I let Henry go in there," she whispered with a conspiratorial wink. Emma rolled her eyes. She was convinced they would never stop rolling at this point, between her friends and Killian.

"You were just trying to get a peek at Killian's ass," Emma replied with an amused snort.

"Can you blame me?" Ruby asked, a dirty little smile creeping up over her cheeks. "Did he leave early or something?"

"He didn't stay. Work." Emma shrugged and passed Ruby a cup, bringing Henry his OJ.

"Thanks, Mom!" he said before chugging down half the cup in one go, releasing the ceramic rim with a satisfied sigh and a new liquid orange mustache. Emma reached out to tousle her son's hair as she took a sip from her own mug of ambrosia.

"Well that sucks." Ruby didn't look happy about this turn of events at all.

"Yeah, well he was almost swayed by the eggplants," Emma said dryly and Ruby laughed.

"Told him about that, did you?" Her hazel eyes twinkled, not looking sorry in the least.

"I didn't know what it meant!" she exclaimed.

"What's an eggplant?" Henry piped in, getting up to put his now empty cup in the sink.

"It's a vegetable," Emma said quickly and Ruby hid a snigger in her coffee. "Go unpack your laundry from last night and then you can play video games for one hour." Henry whooped and ran out of the room.

"Well, I've got work at one today. Henry already showered last night and he's eaten breakfast this morning. He was a perfect angel. As always," Ruby informed her and then drained what was left of her coffee. She rinsed her and Henry's cups and put them in the dishwasher. "I expect a call later to hear everything about last night." She smiled at Emma and Emma gave her a smirk in return, walking her to the door.

Once Ruby had gone, she set about cleaning up her mess from the night before and then sitting down to charge her phone with a second cup of coffee. Henry's video game made ambient explosive noises that she'd learned to tune out by now. She turned her phone on to have two missed calls, both from Ruby this morning, probably warning her she was on her way, and thirteen missed text messages beep their way through. There was one from Elsa, telling her they should grab lunch this weekend to talk about her date, three from Mary Margaret wanting to know how things went herself and making sure she got home alright, and seven from Ruby with various check ins, threats, and warnings about her eminent arrival with her son, the texts peppered with eggplant emojis throughout. The last two were from Killian.

KJ 8:43 am

I hope you slept well, love. Thank you for a wonderful night

KJ 9:33 am

Perhaps we should do it again before the lake?

Time for that earful. Or eyeful. She wasn't about to call him in front of her son. It had absolutely nothing to do with her losing her wits when confronted with his delicious accent.

ES 10:53 am

What the hell was that last night?

Real smooth, Emma, she thought angrily at herself just after hitting 'send'. It didn't take but a moment for the little grey speech bubble to pop up with three dots indicating that he was responding.

KJ 10:54 am

What was what?

Emma scowled at her phone, her lips pursed together tightly. She was in no mood.

ES 10:54 am

Don't play innocent with me buddy

ES 10:54 am

U know exactly what I'm talking about

There was a pause and her mind amped up the replaying of that kiss in the silence. Dammit, why did he have to be a good kisser? Her phone buzzed in her hand again.

KJ 10:56 am

The kiss? I assumed you knew what a kiss was, darling, considering your enthusiastic response

He was fucking with her now. Emma's cheeks began to warm.

ES 10:57 am

Ok 1: nobody texts words that big. Esp before noon.

ES 10:57 am

And 2: I know what a kiss is u ass. I just wanna know why??

KJ 10:58 am

Why? I should think that was obvious, Swan. And vocabulary is an important part of communication.

Emma stared at the screen. Obvious?!

ES 11:00 am

What's obvious??

It took longer this time for the little grey response bubble to appear and Emma couldn't tell if it was apprehension or anticipation settling in her gut as she waited for him finish typing. Just when she thought she was going to explode from the tension, her phone buzzed once more. Well, a few times more.

KJ 11:01 am

I kissed you because that's how you should end a date with a gorgeous woman.

KJ 11:01 am

I kissed you because you deserve to be kissed like that.

KJ 11:02 am

I kissed you because I really REALLY wanted to.

Emma's mouth dropped open. She had no idea how to respond to that. Luckily, Killian had already continued on by the time her brain caught up.

KJ 11:05 am

Do you think I'll need a bathing suit at the lake?

Emma looked at the text, a little thrown by the sharp left turn the conversation had taken.

ES 11:06 am

It's a lake Jones. Of course u need a bathing suit

She thought for a moment.

ES 11:06 am

Don't u dare show up in a speedo

She could practically see his smirk as the three dots popped up again.

KJ 11:07 am

Worried you won't be able to contain yourself, love?

Emma snorted out loud picturing Killian in a ridiculous yellow banana hammock. She smiled slyly to herself as she tapped out her reply.

ES 11:07 am

I'm worried I won't be able to contain Ruby

She waited for a response but a few minutes passed before the typing resumed.

KJ 11:10 am

Bloody hell Swan, I've just spat coffee all over myself. No enticing your friends with scandalous swimwear. Roger that, love.

Emma giggled out loud making Henry look over his shoulder at her from his video game. She blushed and turned slightly more away from him.

ES 11:11 am

Her bf will be there. U should be mostly safe

KJ 11:11 am

Well that's good news. I wonder if I'll be safe from you. Once we're alone, that is.

Emma rolled her eyes, even though he couldn't see.

ES 11:12 am

U couldn't be safer if u were bubble wrapped

"Who are you talking to?" Henry's voice next to her ear made her heart skip several beats.

"God, kid, I'm gonna put a bell around your neck," Emma said, pressing a hand tightly to her chest and feeling her heartbeat jackhammer against her palm.

"Why isn't Killian safe when you're alone?" he asked, paying her distress no mind as he read over her shoulder. Emma smashed her thumb into the lock button on her phone and stuffed it between her leg and the couch cushion. It vibrated again against her thigh.

"I knew teaching you to read would come back to haunt me," she grumbled jokingly. "He was just kidding, Henry."

"Oh. Well that's good. I like him. He makes you smile. And he was nice to me," Henry said matter-of-factly. Emma smiled softly at her boy. "Is he coming to the lake?"

"Yes. Is that okay?" Emma looked at his expression carefully, looking for any signs of a negative response.

"Yeah. He's cool," he replied. Her phone buzzed again from its hiding place.

"Okay good. And, uh, I wanted you to know, Henry, he's going to with me to your dad's wedding, too." She held her breath, unsure of his reaction. Henry's happily curious visage remained unchanged.

"Oh good. Then you can have someone to walk you down the aisle!" he declared. The words were innocent but they made Emma's heart slam to a stop in her chest, then shift straight into high gear. Images of Killian in a tuxedo and her in a white dress filled her head. Before Emma could stutter out a response past the desert that had suddenly taken up residence in her mouth, Henry was already moving back to the TV and settling himself on the floor to resume his game. She gave her head a firm shake, loosening the daydream from her mind. Still in mild shock, she dug her phone out of the cushions and reopened the text messages she'd missed.

KJ 11:13 am

We'll see about that.

KJ 11:14 am

I'd better go change into a dry shirt, love. I'll talk to you soon. Until then, there's not a moment that will go by when I won't think of you.

She couldn't contain the smile that dimpled her cheeks as she responded.

ES 11:20 am

Good.

The weekend passed lazily, she and Henry spending it in the quiet comfort of their apartment. When Monday came, Henry went to Elsa's and Emma went back to work, in and out of the office on client meetings and stakeouts, Henry spending his time between Ruby and Elsa. She didn't see Mary Margaret or her brother at all because they had headed out to the lake the Wednesday before to set up and clean the cabin, making sure it was well stocked for everyone's arrival, and they had been busy packing beforehand. It was a relatively calm and normal week.

Except for one thing.

Her phone dinged from its place in her pocket just as Emma had approached her car. She had just come from yet another client meeting where the husband was convinced his wife was having a torrid affair behind his back and he needed Emma to prove it. The man had droned on and on about his wife's weekly coffee dates between her and her 'friends', how she had began working an hour late on Fridays because she said she was up for a promotion, how she was distant and distracted.

Same old story and it was hardly ever cheating. But a paycheck is a paycheck. And right now she had other things to attend to. She was infinitely grateful after the monotonous Thursday she'd just had that she was taking Friday off to head to the lake. She'd have a friend of hers do some recon while she was gone.

KJ 1:36 pm

Look at this bird

[picture message received]

There was a seagull perched on top of the tall mast of the Jewel, seemingly looking straight down at the camera. She imagined Killian was going out of his mind at this bird's chosen roost. Emma chuckled and got in her car before responding.

ES 1:38 pm

It's a very nice bird?

KJ 1:39 pm

It most certainly is NOT a nice bird. He has shat on my deck more times than I can count. And now he's just sitting there. Mocking me.

Emma laughed out loud at the ridiculous response. Before she could reply, another text came in.

KJ 1:39 pm

How was your meeting, love?

Emma texted him back without another thought. They had been texting back and forth all week. Once she had sent the text that previous Saturday, it was like the floodgates opened. Killian would text Emma throughout the day every day since, just to ask how her day was going or share a snippet of his own. He was easy to talk to, so she would reply.

He asked after Henry, she asked after Liam. He talked about his ship, she talked about work. She sent him pictures of a new dinner she tried her hand at making and he made innuendos about dessert. Elsa and Ruby would grin at her, Ruby often throwing a suggestive comment out as well, whenever they caught her smiling down at her phone. Emma couldn't bring herself to care. It was nice to talk to Killian. He seemed to understand her in a way that even her friends didn't. Even when they were just talking about nonsense, it was comfortable. A little voice would remind her in the back of her mind every now and then that it was a little too comfortable, but she pushed it aside when it came. It was fun.

They texted over the course of the rest of the day, and even when they both had lay down in their respective beds for the night. Emma fell asleep with her phone in her hand. Thankfully she had remembered to plug it in before she conked completely out, because the next morning was Friday. And chaos had already descended.

"Mom!" Henry shouted from her bedroom doorway, causing Emma to shoot upright in bed, her hair tangled in a nest around her face. Her eyes were wide and searching, but unfocused. "Aunt Elsa is here!"

"What? What time is it?" she slurred sleepily, kicking her blanket and sheet off of her in a panic.

"9:17," Elsa's voice joined Henry's from behind him. "We need to be on the road in thirteen minutes."

"FUCK!" Emma yelled and ran to her dresser. She tore through her clothes to find something to wear.

"That's a bad word, Mom," Henry scolded before leaving the doorway. Emma groaned at her slip up.

"I tried to call!" Elsa said as Emma turned her back and yanked her oversized tee over her head, swapping it for a bra and a light blue tank top.

"Yeah, I'm sure you and everyone else in my life," she grumbled, wrenching her pajama bottoms down her legs and pulling a pair of jeans on in their place. "Would you mind getting Henry dressed? We're already packed, we just have to load up and Killian offered to bring breakfast. Killian! Shit!" She had forgotten all about picking up Killian. They technically should be gone already.

"Okay," Elsa stepped fully into the room and placed calming hands on Emma's shoulders. "Deep breaths. We are okay. I'll get Henry dressed and we can just get out the door. It is all going to be okay." She held Emma's gaze as she spoke, watching the panic leave her leafy green eyes. Emma nodded, took a deep breath, and shook out the tension from her limbs. Elsa nodded once more and then headed out of the room to help wrangle Emma's son.

Her phone buzzed merrily on her bed, lighting up with a call from Mary Margaret. Emma's head snapped towards the sound. She snatched it from its place on the fitted sheet, pulling the charger free from its base as well and stuffing that in her pocket before answering.

"Hey," she said breathlessly as her phone continued to buzz in her ear with incoming messages.

"Emma! My goodness, we have been calling you for two hours now, what happened?" Mary Margaret's voice was filled with concern.

"I, uh, slept through the alarm," she said on a distracted groan as she tried to sandwich the phone between her shoulder and her ear and put on her shoes at the same time, almost causing her to almost fall over. "Elsa is here, we are heading out to pick up Killian right now and then we will be on the road."

"Okay, we just wanted to make sure, and to remind you to bring your big ice chest and more sunscreen and towels." Mary Margaret Nolan: ever the worrier.

"Yes, Mom, I got it all packed last night. I checked and double checked my list and the one you texted to me. I have to let you go. We need to get on the road," she said, finally putting the phone on speaker so she could run a brush through her hair and throw it into a sloppy bun on top of her head. She looked at her appearance in the vanity mirror and deemed it good enough. Killian would have to deal with her without makeup today.

"Okay, honey, I'll let you go. Drive safe and we will see you in a couple hours! Leo is very excited to see his aunt and cousin!" Mary Margaret said.

"We're excited too, we'll see you soon," Emma confirmed and ended the call. "Henry!" she called for her son and looked down at her phone. Ruby had been calling as well, even a missed call from Victor's phone, and Killian had called a couple times.

"I'm ready!" Henry presented himself in a superhero stance in the hallway as Emma walked out into it. He was dressed and face washed, a duffel by his feet.

"Alright, kid, go potty and then we need to hit the road. Wash your hands!" she called after her son who ran towards the bathroom. Emma scooped up his bag as she passed and went into the living room. From her vantage point, she saw that Elsa was finishing packing up a small carriable cooler with snacks and drinks and she had already moved all the rest of the bags to the front door. Emma looked mournfully at her coffee pot, knowing there was no time for a cup. When Henry reappeared, Elsa quickly ushered them out the door, each laden with bags. They were loaded up and on their way to Killian in Elsa's SUV, only ten minutes late.

Emma looked back to her phone, intending to call Killian on the way, when her missed calls and messages popped up again. Ruby's seemed to have stopped but Killian's now had a nervous tone to them.

"I talked to Ruby while you were getting ready, if that's what you're worried about," Elsa said, her GPS chirping out an instruction to turn right in 500 feet.

"That must be why she stopped calling. I haven't talked to Killian this morning yet, I'm just sending him a text to let him know we are close," Emma said, skimming over the missed messages under his name.

KJ 6:57 am

Good morning Swan. Are we still meeting at 9:30?

KJ 7:26 am

I hope you're awake love. Call me when you get this.

KJ 7:53 am

Are you awake? Am I still getting breakfast?

KJ 8:25 am

Swan I know I'm being a bother but I need to talk to you before we hit the road

KJ 9:03 am

Are you on your way to me? Please call me

KJ 9:13 am

I'm getting a little worried now, love

KJ 9:26 am

I'm starting to get the impression you may have left without me… call me?

KJ 9:42 am

I've got breakfast just in case but I really would like to hear from you

Emma sighed and punched in a quick response.

ES 9:56 am

I'm so sorry, I slept through my alarm and it's been crazy. Almost there, we didn't leave you

Emma locked her phone again and set it into the cupholder next to her as the GPS directed Elsa around a final corner to a little cul de sac with several pristine houses. The GPS announced their arrival at the destination, but Emma would have recognized the Jolly Roger in the open garage anywhere. They pulled into the driveway and Emma unbuckled her seatbelt.

"Stay in the car with Aunt Elsa, Henry. I'll be right back," she instructed her son who was already happily tapping away at a game on his iPad in his booster seat.

"'Kay, Mom," he replied without even looking up. Emma sighed and hopped out of the big black vehicle. She started up towards the house but Killian was already coming to meet her before she even got out of the driveway. His normally bright smile looked nervous and Emma's face fell into confusion at the sight.

"You had me worried, Swan." He leaned down and kissed her cheek, making Emma flush scarlet at the easiness of the motion. And the fact that Elsa and possibly her son were watching.

"I'm so sorry. I overslept and I didn't even get to read your messages until we were on our way. Are you ready?" she asked, looking around him for his bags. It was his turn to blush and his hand shot up to scratch behind his ear, immediately setting Emma on her guard. "What's wrong? Are you not coming?"

"No, no, love, of course I'm still coming," he rushed to reassure her. "It's just… did you get all of my messages?" His eyes anxiously studied her face.

"Yes…" She drew out the word warily, scanning through what she could remember in her mind.

"And you remember I wanted to talk to you about something?" He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Just spit it out, Killian," she urged. He sighed heavily through his nose, his mouth set in a line.

"Alright, just hear me out, love-" he began but was soon interrupted by another booming voice coming from the door behind him.

"Are you out here, little brother? Ah," the voice said and a tall man came into view. His hair was a lighter, more coppery brown than Killian's, curlier as well, but the same blue eyes Killian possessed were fixed on her as he came into view. "You must be Emma."

"And you must be Liam," Emma said, eyes sliding to Killian, who looked like he wanted the earth to open up and swallow him whole, as she extended her hand to meet Liam's. He shook her hand firmly, drawing her gaze back to his.

"It's about time that I've met the lass who's caught Killian's attention. Did you tell her yet, little brother?" he asked and Emma looked back to Killian, trying not to let her eyes show the panic she felt.

"Younger brother, Liam, bloody hell. And no, I was getting to that. It's been a bit of a rushed morning for her." He stepped closer and slipped an arm around her waist.

"And yet she's still managed to be late," he pointed out, making Emma bristle. "Punctuality is an admirable virtue."

"Well, she's actually right here and realizes she was late. Patience is another good quality to have," she shot back, stepping away from Killian's side, and Liam regarded her carefully, letting out a low hum.

"This is going to be a fun weekend, I can tell," he said, taking Emma aback. Her eyes flew to Killian again and he looked everywhere except her.

"What?" She flitted her gaze between the two brothers, one looking smug and challenging, the other looking even more nervous than before. "What?!" Her eyes settled on Killian.

"I know this isn't much notice-" he reached out for her again.

"Or any," she said through her teeth, struggling to keep her voice even.

"I know, darling, I'm sorry," he returned, voice pleading. "Liam thought that this might be the perfect opportunity to let the families meet each other, since I'll be meeting yours already."

"Aye, this will be for the best in the long run, you'll see," Liam told her, Emma's feathers further ruffled at this man who was making decisions for her, though she'd never met him before. "I'll go get the bags. We're running late enough." Liam turned on his heel on that last barb and Emma stepped forward towards his retreating back, hands balled into fists, to be intercepted by Killian's arm around her waist.

"Cancer," he reminded her gently, pulling her around the corner of the garage to where the front door was set back, giving them privacy to discuss this out of sight of the SUV and his pretentious brother.

"Remission," she growled back at him. "And I wasn't going to hit him." He quirked an eyebrow in disbelief. "I didn't say I didn't want to hit him. And don't you look at me like that," she hissed and smacked both of her open hands on his chest, then his arms as he turned his shoulder to her and curled his leg to block the blows. "What the hell are you doing?" she whisper-shouted at him.

"Ouch! Alright, Swan, I surrender! Damn!" He grasped her by both wrists firmly enough to stop the onslaught of slapping, but not tight enough to hurt her. She wrenched her hands free and flung them wide, her eyes about to bug from her skull in exasperation.

"Please explain to me how this happened," she said as calmly as she was capable of.

"He saw me texting you," he admitted on a sigh. "I panicked, Emma, I'm sorry. I told him the same story we've been using for your friends. We've been seeing each other for a few months, but keeping it quiet to get to know one another. Liam is very…"

"Arrogant? Nosy? Priggish?" Emma suggested, deliberately mispronouncing the last word with a hard "ck" instead of its usual soft "g". Her small hands were gripping her hips now, the muscles in her arms tensed like a coiled cobra.

"Protective?" Killian offered with a smile, his raised brows knitted together. "He's sort of… invited himself along this weekend. I know I'm not in a position to ask these things of you, Emma, but if we could just pretend on my behalf, just as I'm doing for you this weekend, it would be a very large favor to me."

"Do not act like you're doing me some kindness this weekend. I am paying you," she reminded him with a sharp poke to his chest, emphasizing the last two words.

"I'll give you a discount," he said quickly, wincing and rubbing the spot where her finger had jabbed him. "Two hundred dollars off. Emma, please. He can't find out about this arrangement. It would break us apart."

Emma considered him for a second. His blue eyes were pleading, nearly fearful of the consequences of her rejection of his brother that he'd obviously been stewing on for some time. His hands were shaking between them, torn between reaching out to her and stuffing them into his pockets. His sincerity was overwhelming and Emma feet her anger melting away in that instant. The thought of him being hurt, especially when she had the power to stop it, was almost more than she could bear. She couldn't let him know that, though. She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at him as the silence stretched between them.

"Five hundred off," she said, the words coming out more mildly irritated than angry and Killian's expression immediately exploded into exuberance. She held up a finger sternly and he reined in his disposition, his eyes still sparking with grateful excitement. "And he will keep his snark to a minimum in front of my son." Killian nodded solemnly.

"Of course, Swan. I'll talk to him straight away," he promised, then stepped forward to envelop her in a tight hug, restraining her arms and almost lifting her from the ground, his face buried in her neck. "You won't regret this." His words tickled the skin where his scruff was pressed and caused a thrill to run up her spine. She pulled from his embrace with a composing cough, trying not to let him see how affected she was.

"I think I might already." She chuckled dryly. "We really do need to get on the road, though, so I'm just gonna go… update Elsa…"

"Aye, we should be out shortly with the bags," Killian said and Emma nodded, turning sharply and walking stiffly back to the car. Elsa pulled down her sunglasses to look at Emma as she slipped back into the passenger seat.

"Are we going? What happened?" she asked, concerned at Emma's rattled appearance.

"He's bringing his brother," she blurted. Elsa's eyebrows shot up her forehead in surprise.

"His brother? When did this happen?" she asked, trying to contain the shock in her voice.

"I don't know, last night? He texted me that we needed to talk but I didn't get his messages this morning until we were almost here and it just kind of happened? I didn't know how to say no! Oh, God, I have to call Mary Margaret." Emma buried her face in her hands and groaned.

"Mom? Are you okay?" Henry's small, worried voice popped in from the backseat. Emma went rigid, plastering on an over large smile before turning to her son.

"Yeah, Henry, everything's okay. I'm just figuring some stuff out. You alright back there? You need anything?" She felt guilt wash over her for worrying her kid. Henry only beamed back at her and shook his head.

"No, I'm okay. Can we go soon?" he asked and Emma's smile relaxed into something more genuine.

"Yeah, kid. Killian is coming right now and then we will go," she assured him. Henry's attention went back to the electronic in his lap. Emma scooped up her phone from the cupholder and looked up Mary Margaret's number. She answered on the first ring.

"Hey! Are you guys on the road?" Mary Margaret asked brightly.

"Uhh… not exactly…" Emma replied. "We had something come up that I wanted to talk to you about."

"Is everything okay?" Mary Margaret's voice turned serious.

"Yeah, no, we're fine. It's just… do you think there's room for an extra person?" Emma asked, nervousness clawing at her throat.

"I'm sure we can make up the sofa bed in the office. What's going on?" her sister-in-law asked hesitantly.

"Well, Killian wanted to bring his brother. So you all could meet each other. And, uh, me," she added, picking at a frayed spot on the knee of her jeans.

There was silence on the other end of the line and Emma checked to make sure the call hadn't dropped before an ear splitting screech erupted from the phone, making Emma very glad it wasn't pressed against her ear.

"Oh, Emma, that's wonderful! I'm so excited! Of course there's room for his brother! The more the merrier!" Mary Margaret squealed. Emma nearly cringed at the enthusiasm in her tone.

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure it was alright," she said.

"Yes, absolutely, now get yourselves on the road! I can't wait to see you all!" she said.

The call ended and Emma put the phone back down in her lap, taking a deep, calming breath. Maybe this wouldn't be a total disaster.

"Wow. God bless this genepool." Elsa's slight gasp drew Emma's attention back to the present and she saw the two men carrying three bags between them towards the car. Killian also had a drink tote and a paper bag balanced on one arm. It was like something out of a movie, the brothers seemingly moving in slow motion, laughing and talking, backed by something playing on the radio but no sound permeating the vehicle from their conversation, Elsa lowering her sunglasses to look at them over the top of them; Emma huffed a short laugh at how ridiculous it was. But she couldn't deny that they were very attractive. She was single. She was allowed to look.

Liam was taller than Killian, even in the flat Converse he wore on his feet. His jeans and plain blue t-shirt were well fitted, leading Emma to believe he had gotten himself a good workout regimen when he recovered from his illness. Aviator style shades were hooked in his collar, and his face looked much more attractive when he was laughing and carefree than when he was scowling at her. Killian's face looked freer as well, his smile becoming almost boyish in his brother's presence. But there was nothing boyish about the way he looked at her over the top of aviator shades of his own through the windshield, swiping his tongue over his lip. Could he see her? Probably; it would be just like him to put her on the spot like that, the bastard. He was the most dressed down Emma had ever seen him, a blue checked shirt hanging open and rolled up at the sleeves, revealing a Led Zeppelin t-shirt underneath. His dark blue jeans were larger in the legs than the slim fitting pants she was used to seeing him in but still fit him like a glove in all the right places. If possible, she was more physically attracted to him now than ever. Which was a problem.

"Yeah, but watch out for big brother, he's a pompous ass," Emma said sourly and scrambled to get out of the car. Elsa followed her, scurrying around to the passenger side where they were making their approach.

"All set, love," Killian told her with a cautious smile. "And you must be Elsa." He turned to Emma's friend and extended his hand. Elsa took it in a light shake, but her eyes were glued to the taller Jones behind Killian. Emma looked curiously from her to Liam, who looked just as stricken. She glanced at Killian, who seemed to have noticed the same thing, and they exchanged sly hidden smiles.

"And this is Liam, Killian's brother," Emma interjected and Killian stepped aside. Both Elsa and Liam seemed to remember themselves and thrust their hands forward at the same time, making them collide awkwardly. They both chuckled and Liam rotated his wrist to capture Elsa's slender fingers in his.

"Pleasure to meet you, Liam," Elsa said and Emma's face wrinkled at the breathlessness of her friend's voice. Oh, she had it bad.

"The pleasure is all mine, lass." His hand lingered on hers and they stared at each other in silence.

"Oookay, Killian, you want to load up these bags?" Emma asked, breaking through the tension.

"Aye, love, lead the way." He paused. "Is there a place I can set these?" He lightly lifted his arm carrying the food, careful not to topple it. Emma smiled and took the bag and tote, the heavenly scent of coffee flooding her senses as it came closer.

"Oh, my God, is one of these for me?" she asked excitedly. Killian laughed.

"Of course, love, there's one for each of us," he replied, dropping a quick kiss to her cheek once more. She felt her face heat again as Elsa finally stepped away from Liam and slipped around to the back of the vehicle to open the tailgate. Liam followed her like a lost puppy and Killian trailed along after them to load up the bags. Emma opened up the passenger seat, setting the food and drinks on the seat and promptly freeing a cup from its carrier. Ruffling around in the bag, she found a baggie with sugar and another with dry creamer nestled among several foil wrapped items and a bottle of juice that she assumed was for Henry.

"For the lad." Killian's voice confirmed low in her ear, a hand resting familiarly on her waist. She stiffened slightly, but decided she wasn't going to let him know how much he was affecting her.

"Shouldn't you be helping with the bags?" she murmured, suppressing a shiver at his proximity while adding cream and sugar to one of the cups.

"I thought I'd give them a moment to stare blankly at one another without interruption," he murmured, making her giggle under her breath. The rear hatch banged shut, causing Emma to sway into him further, startled. His hand tightened on her waist and she gasped.

"Mom, I'm hungry!" Henry half shouted, face still buried in his iPad. Killian jumped back away from where he was pressed against the boy's mother at the sound of his voice like he'd been electrocuted, making Emma laugh out loud.

"Be patient, Henry," she said, laughter still in her voice. She replaced the lid of the cup and turned back out of the door, taking a large sip of the still hot liquid. She let out a deep, carnal moan as the flavor exploded over her tongue. Her lips released the rim of the cup on a sigh, her tongue tracing over them to get every drop of the elixir of life into her as possible.

"That's so good," she groaned. She looked around the back of the vehicle to see if Elsa and Liam were coming, and they were, and then darted her eyes back to Killian to discuss seating arrangements.

The words never came, though, when she saw the primal look that had overtaken Killian's features at her scandalous coffee display. His eyes had darkened a shade and his mouth was slightly ajar, the tip of his pink tongue pushing at the edge of his upper lip. He took a step towards her and brushed some of the wispy strands of hair that had escaped her bun behind her ear, tracing her cheekbone with his knuckles. Emma's jade eyes stayed locked to his sapphire, even as his head dipped closer to hers.

"Canoodle on your own time, you two, we've got to get a move on if we want to make it there by nightfall!" Liam's booming voice commanded, breaking the moment. Killian dropped his forehead to Emma's with a disappointed chuckle, and Emma laughed back, nerves woven into the sound. She stepped away from him as discreetly as she could without alerting Elsa and Liam to the fact that she was trying to run away from her supposed boyfriend because it was getting to be a little too familiar for her.

"Who put your brother in charge?" Emma asked Killian loud enough for Liam and Elsa to hear.

"Someone has to keep you from scarring the neighbors," Liam snorted.

"Uh huh," Emma replied. "And, uh, what was taking you and Elsa so long back there?" She grinned as Elsa immediately turned the color of a tomato and Liam began sputtering, but forming no actual words. Killian laughed heartily behind her.

"Okay! It's time to go!" Elsa clapped loudly and then jerked her arms back to her sides, balling her hands into fists. She marched past them all, eyes on the ground, pointedly not looking at anyone. Emma could almost see her scalp turning red underneath her white blonde hair. Oh, she was so going to get the third degree at the lake. If not by Emma, then by Ruby and/or Mary Margaret approximately 2.3 seconds after they saw her with Liam.

"Aye, lass," Liam muttered in agreement, turning to open the back door. Emma felt a surge of anxiety in her chest, and she darted forward, slamming the door back shut with the flat of her palm. Liam looked at her, surprised.

"Okay, so I'm sure Killian has told you, but I have a son. His name is Henry and he is eight years old. Whatever snarky bullshit you want to fling my way, you will wait until my son is not present. Capische?" Emma's tone brokered no arguments and Liam swallowed, straightening his shoulders.

"You have my word, I'll be on my best behavior," he vowed. Emma looked at him hard.

"Good," she said after a beat. "And you won't mind sitting up front to ensure that then?" He nodded his assent. Emma backed up so he could walk to the still slightly open front door. "You'll have to pass out breakfast, too," she informed him before opening the door and slipping behind it, out of his line of sight. She slid into the bench seat, scooting herself all the way over next to Henry in the middle, and Elsa shot her a panicked look from the driver's seat as Liam sorted the bag and drinks that Emma had left behind. She gave her a guilty smile and a shrug. She could only hope Elsa wouldn't get distracted by Liam's presence and crash them into a tree. Emma looked over her son's shoulder to see he was reading from his storybook app when she felt Killian slide in beside her, his thigh pressed tightly to hers, and she wondered how much of a good idea this seat switching endeavor really was.

"Who are you?" Henry asked bluntly, staring at Liam as he settled himself into the passenger seat. He looked back into the backseat and smiled warmly at the child, making Emma relax slightly.

"My name is Liam. I'm Killian's brother," he said. "What's your name?"

"Henry Swan," he replied nonchalantly, then looked over his mother's lap to where Killian sat. "Hi, Killian!" he greeted enthusiastically, making Emma's heart clench. She really hoped her son wouldn't get too attached to Killian. He wasn't especially attached to Tamara, and she expected the same reaction to any man that she had ever decided to bring home. That was fine with her, she wasn't trying to get him attached to a man that wasn't his father, but his genuine happiness to see Killian, a man set to disappear from her life, gave her pause.

"Hello, lad," Killian grinned broadly at the boy. "Are you ready for a fun weekend?"

"Yeah! I get to have a sleepover with Leo in our own room!" he cheered making Killian chuckle.

"That sounds wonderful. Thank you for letting Liam and me join in on your fun," he said.

"No problem." Henry shrugged and then looked up at his mother. "Can we eat now?"

"Yes, Henry," she replied, kissing the top of his head.

As Elsa pulled out of the driveway, her GPS already providing directions, Liam handed out the rest of the drinks and food, which turned out to be Killian's homemade breakfast sandwiches. Emma refused to be impressed by his cooking (it was a damn good sandwich), and they all had eaten everything before they even hit the freeway.

Lake Onota was almost on the other side of the state from Boston, a good four hour drive away. Elsa's satellite radio played some 80's station that Emma happily tuned out, and they all played the usual car games for awhile. At some point, Killian's arm had fit itself snugly around Emma's shoulders. She hadn't even noticed it happening, but Elsa did, if the twinkle in her eye whenever she looked at the two of them in the rearview mirror was any indication. She couldn't wait to get to the cabin.


	7. Chapter 7

Heyyyyyyyy guys! So. I realize it's been a minute and I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my black little heart. Things got... crazy around the holidays in my life. To say the least. I lost my dog, finally got diagnosed with a debilitating illness after a year plus of suffering without treatment, amongst other things. But enough about me and my sob story lol. This chapter is the first part of the lake! We get new character intros, some tension, some saucy fun and shirtless, wet Killian Jones cuz I have no self control lol (forgive me yet? :P)

Thank you thank you as always to my wonderful beta @superchocovian who was so amazing and patient and helpful through this whole thing. She truly is the best. And thank you to my wondertwin @artistic-writer who not only served as a second beta on this story but made all the beautiful art that goes along with it! She's a fabulous person and needs a little extra love right now so go drown her in it ;) Last but not least, thank you all who read and follow this story! I'm so thrilled that y'all like it and that you guys stick with me even when I have my little issues. You guys are truly the best and your feedback gives me life!

Away we go with chapter 7!

 **Chapter 7**

The cabin that David had inherited from his father was about as spacious as a building could get and still be called a cabin. With six bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a private dock on the lake, the vacation home was nicer than any actual home Emma had ever lived in. She loved her large apartment, but it looked like a shack next to this. David's father was a CEO for an agricultural company, wildly successful, and they had money beyond anything that could be spent in one lifetime. Oddly enough, his father never got the chance to find out how much he could spend, because tragedy didn't care how rich someone was.

David and his twin brother James were the only two children Ruth Nolan-Spencer and George Spencer had. The boys were not George's by birth, their real father having died in a car accident when the boys were only seven. He met their mother when his company purchased their family ranch. George and Ruth married, a wedding of convenience, and he adopted both boys legally. James was his prodigy, and George was more than happy to take him under his wing, teaching him the ways of business from a young age. David was content to stay on the sheep ranch, running things there with his mother. He liked being connected to the outdoors. James was only interested in making it rich, impressed by his father's cars and material things. He fell in with a bad crowd when the boys were fourteen, and by the time they were fifteen, James began using drugs.

George found out and was deeply ashamed of the boy, and tried to replace him with David for awhile, forcing him to come to the office with him and sit in on board meetings, trying to shape him into what he wanted for James at first. This drove David's twin deeper into his bad habits and company, until he became nearly unmanageable. When he started skipping school so often that the police became involved, George had no choice but to pay attention. He and Ruth decided a rehab in New Hampshire would be the troubled teen's best bet at recovery, and it was out of the limelight for George's business as well. They didn't plan on telling James their destination until they arrived.

James figured it out anyways when they were halfway there and flew into a fit of rage. He lashed out physically at his father, who happened to be driving, causing him to crash the car down a steep ravine. David was the only survivor. Ruth had become a shut in not long after marrying George, losing her friends and ties to the community; George made more enemies than friends in his life. As a result, there was no one to take David in once they were gone. And so he went into foster care at the age of sixteen.

He was assigned to Emma's foster home at the time. She was fifteen when they met. David was bullied mercilessly by the other children in the homes and even at school, for being the only rich kid in foster care. It didn't matter that he couldn't touch any of his inherited empire until he was eighteen. Emma often stood up for him, being a seasoned veteran of the system, and David would have her back when she was treated the same. They became close, forming a sibling bond with one another that stood the test of time, even all these years later. Emma didn't know what she would do without him.

When he turned eighteen and his assets became fully available to him, David bought back his family farm and sold off his father's company, keeping only the old ranch and the cabin for himself, a reminder of happier childhood memories. He was a veterinarian now, married to his college sweetheart, running the ranch and his practice from his home, along with a small dog rescue. Emma admired his quiet ambition. David had grown into a good man, fiercely protective of those he loved because of the losses he'd experienced so young. She could only hope this meeting with Killian would go well.

Somewhere along the drive, Emma's adrenaline fueled morning caught up with her. She hadn't even realized she'd fallen asleep until she woke up sandwiched between Killian and Henry, both of whom appeared to be asleep themselves. Killian's head was pressed to the top of hers as she leaned back into his chest, his breathing deep and steady. Henry was flopped over onto Emma's other side and she could feel the corner of his forgotten tablet digging into her thigh. She looked to the front and Elsa and Liam appeared to be in quiet conversation until Elsa caught Emma's eye in the mirror.

"Well hello, sleepyhead," Elsa teased, making a turn down a road Emma recognized as the main street to the cabin. "I was just about to wake you. We're about there." Emma stretched dramatically in an attempt to slide out of Killian's embrace, but that only served to wake the man, his arms tightening around her automatically.

"Where are we?" Killian rasped, his sleep laden voice at least a full octave lower and so sexy it should have been illegal. Emma clenched her thighs together involuntarily.

"About five minutes out," Emma said, gently disentangling herself from Killian's arms to sit up and wake Henry. Killian sat straight himself, stretching his frame as much as possible in the confines of the backseat. She maneuvered her still sleeping child into a sitting position and leaned down to murmur in her son's ear that they had almost arrived. The boy woke up and blinked the sleep from his eyes, immediately perking up at their surroundings. The lake cabin came into view and a soft 'whoa' came from the passenger seat, making Emma smirk smugly.

As they pulled into the driveway, Emma immediately recognized David and Mary Margaret's Jeep Cherokee and Victor Whale's Mercedes, signifying Ruby's presence as well. Elsa parked and they all piled out to be greeted immediately by the Nolan family. As soon as Emma saw David, she couldn't contain herself. Her face nearly split in half with her smile, his own matching hers, and she ran at him, jumping into his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist. He laughed warm and deep in his chest, squeezing her tightly around the waist to support her weight and swung her to and fro before setting her on her feet and cradling the back of her head to his chest.

"Missed you, too, Emma," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She pulled back and beamed at him, his cornflower blue eyes shining with affection. He looked up over her shoulder back to the car where Mary Margaret and Leo had gone to greet Elsa and his expression hardened immediately at the sight of the Brothers Jones.

"David, you promised to be nice," she said, reminding him of a conversation they'd had over the phone a few days ago. David grunted in response, clearly not committing to anything. Emma decided that it would probably be best to head him off at the pass and released him, fixing him with a stony glare that told him to behave himself. She walked back to Killian's side and wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him away from where Mary Margaret was greeting Elsa and Henry.

"Brace yourself," she said through a nervous smile, seeing David head right in their direction, a stem look covering his handsome features. Killian swallowed hard, his muscles tensing beneath Emma's arm.

"Hello, you must be David, Emma's said a lot about you," Killian stepped away from Emma's hold and extended a ringed hand to Emma's brother. David looked down at Killian's hand for a moment and then grasped it tightly. From the way Killian hid a slight wince, it appeared David may have been trying to crush it with his strong rancher's grip.

"Funny, because Emma hasn't really mentioned you at all," he said, distaste in his tone already.

"David," Mary Margaret chastised as she came upon the scene. David didn't look away from Killian, but he did release his hand with a tight smile. "So this is Killian! It's so nice to meet you! I'm Mary Margaret and this is Leo," she said, affectionately stroking her son's hair.

"It's nice to meet you, too," Killian replied. He began to reach out for a handshake when Mary Margaret shook her head and wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a hug. David glowered at him as he tentatively returned it, freeing himself from her grip as soon as he was able.

"I should have warned you she's a hugger," Emma said on an uncomfortable laugh as David continued to stoically watch Killian's every move. Unconsciously, Emma reached up to grip Killian's shirt sleeve where it was folded at his elbow.

"Mama, I'm going to play with Henry!" the small boy told his mother, and Mary Margaret gave her approval as the boy began to run off. Emma motioned to Liam and Elsa who were unloading the bags from the back of the car for them to come over and hopefully get some of David's attention off of Killian. Elsa nodded after a moment, shutting the rear door to the SUV and leaving the bags as they lay for the time being, Liam hot on her heels. As expected, David's eyes snapped to the newcomers and his posture relaxed slightly, making Emma's grip on Killian's shirt loosen as well. Killian felt it, and looked at her with a fond smile out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey, guys," Emma said to them both as they approached. "David, Mary Margaret, this is Liam, Killian's brother." David sized up the taller man and reached for his hand first, shaking it firmly.

"David, a pleasure, Mary Margaret," Liam greeted them both, shifting his hand to Mary Margaret to shake only for her to brush it aside and wrap him up in a hug as well.

"We are so glad you're both here!" she gushed as she released him, stepping back into her husband's side. David laid his arm comfortably over his wife's shoulders and went back to glaring at Killian. "We were just about to get the barbecue out and-"

"Well it's about time you bitches arrived!" Ruby's voice rang out over the open air, cutting Mary Margaret off.

"Ruby, there are kids!" Mary Margaret scolded.

"Pssh, they're way over there." She gestured to a tree in the nearby yard that the two boys were running around.

"Got into the wine coolers already, I see," Emma teased, walking towards her friend.

"Shut up, I'm on vacation," she shot back with a grin, looping an arm around Emma's neck and walking with her the short distance back to the others.

"Where's Victor?" Elsa asked, looking back towards the house.

"He, uh, he had to use the bathroom," Ruby said, stifling a giggle. Emma looked at her and that's when she saw the bright red hickey blooming just under her jawline.

"You're disgusting," Emma said on a laugh and Ruby pulled her arm back to flick her hair over her shoulder, exposing the bruise more.

"Jealous?" She wiggled her eyebrows at Emma, who responded with a now patented eye roll. Ruby's eyes then found Killian. "What am I saying, of course you're not. How are you, hunka hunka burnin' love?" she teased Killian, drawing a crimson fingernail down his chest.

"Ah, Ruby. Always a delight," Killian replied with teasing sarcasm, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he rocked back on his heels.

She winked at him and looked at Liam who had been standing awkwardly nearby, still close behind Elsa, but maintaining a respectable distance between them. "And who's burly and broody over here?"

"Liam Jones," the man in question introduced himself, "Killian's big brother."

Emma could hear Killian quietly harrumph at the addition of the adjective, but he let it go. She giggled, though, and he knew she had caught him, the tips of his ears pinkening in embarrassment. He put his arm around her shoulders, looking down at her with a slight smirk, and tugged her into his side.

"Well hot damn. It's a party now." She grinned and shook his proffered hand. "Please tell me there's skinny dipping on the menu." Liam's eyes widened at her blatant flirtation.

"Don't even think about it," David warned in a flat tone and Mary Margaret shook her head. Ruby pouted at him exaggeratedly as she released Liam's hand. She looked like she might say something else but then her eyes lit up as they settled on the cabin behind them.

"Hey, gang," Victor Whale said as he approached. His bleach blonde hair stood out in the sunlight, only broken up by the black and green RayBans on his head. The bright pink shirt and Hawaiian flower printed board shorts outfit he wore looked like he was ready to hit a California beach somewhere instead of spending a family weekend at the lake.

"Hey, babe," Ruby grinned and threw her arms around his neck, giving him a lingering kiss.

"Children," Mary Margaret hissed. Ruby and Victor both laughed as they broke apart, Ruby rubbing away the cherry red lipstick from her boyfriend's lips with her thumb.

"Victor, this is Killian and Liam Jones. Killian is Emma's boyfriend," Ruby introduced the three men and Emma's stomach did a strange flip at the title she'd referenced Killian with. Killian's arm tightened around Emma at the word as well, further unsettling her, and shook Victor's hand with his free one, then Liam doing the same.

"Oh, Elsa, before I forget, I have baby clothes for Anna, too, remind me to have you take them. They're in the trunk," Mary Margaret said suddenly, referring to Elsa's very pregnant sister, who was uncharacteristically missing from this little get together.

"Oh, she'll love that. She really wanted to be here, but so close to her due date, she didn't want to risk it," Elsa said fondly.

"We understand. There's always next year," David replied with a warm smile. His eyes hardened as he looked back to Killian. "I'm going to start up the grill. You guys make yourselves comfortable."

"Take the guys with you," Mary Margaret suggested. "Get some manly bonding time in. Us girls can finish up in the kitchen." Killian's eyes shot down to Emma's, the fear at being left semi alone with her brother written all over his face. Emma gave him a reassuring smile and squeezed his bicep and his gaze warmed before looking back into the icy glare of Emma's brother.

"Aye, that sounds delightful," he confirmed. David looked like he was about to protest when Mary Margaret shot him a sharp look and he swallowed his objections down.

"Just don't let Killian touch the lighter fluid, eh, little brother?" Liam's eyes sparkled as he referenced an obvious inside joke.

"Younger brother, and I was ten," Killian growled, cheeks rapidly reddening. "I didn't know it would start a bloody bonfire." Liam moved closer to his brother and clapped him on the shoulder as the group around them chuckled.

"We will find a nice safe job for you, don't worry," David said, a twinkle beginning to infiltrate his gaze as the men began to break away to the house, diverting to grab the bags from behind Elsa's car, giving Emma hope that this wouldn't be too terrible. David paused for a moment. "Maybe you can be in charge of the buns." Liam barked out an agreeable laugh and Victor gave Ruby several more parting kisses before following them. The shrieks of joy coming from the yard drew Mary Margaret and Emma's attention away briefly, watching Henry and Leo playing what looked like a very involved game of tag. Emma smiled, watching her son have fun with his cousin as the men disappeared into the house.

Like velociraptors in sync, Ruby and Mary Margaret turned in unison with large smiles on their faces, and Emma swallowed thickly. She looked at Elsa who offered her a timid smile that told Emma she was all alone in this. Traitor, Emma's glare said, just wait until they ask about Liam.

"So, you've met Killian now," she said to the two others, ripping off the bandaid.

"Oh, Emma, he's so handsome! And polite!" Mary Margaret gushed immediately, linking her arm through Emma's and walking towards the house.

"And big bro ain't nothing to sneeze at, either," Ruby said with a grin, linking her arm on the other side and pulling Elsa reluctantly closer as well. "Just ask Elsa."

"I didn't- we're not even- I haven't even known him more than a few hours!" Elsa stuttered out, her cheeks a bright rosy pink.

"Who knows, maybe you both just found your happily ever after!" Mary Margaret singsonged, making Emma pale and Elsa blush even more furiously.

"Let's just get through this weekend first," Emma grumbled and charged ahead into the house.

Dinner went off mostly without a hitch. Killian had bonded with Victor and were apparently engaged in some sort of innuendo-off, much to Emma's chagrin and Ruby's utter delight. David didn't look like he wanted to murder Killian every time he touched Emma (which was a lot), so that was progress, she supposed. Liam was sat next to Killian, serving as a distraction to David, who seemed to have taken a liking to the man, but Emma still caught the little glances that he and Elsa exchanged throughout the meal. Henry and Leo were thick as thieves, off in their own little world ever since they had been reunited.

Killian's left hand seemed to have taken up residence on Emma's knee, occasionally straying to brush a lock of hair out of her face or rub her back. Emma hardly noticed it as time went on, he did it so often. She didn't tense every time he touched her anymore, but she resolved that she would not instigate or encourage it. Ruby did though, little "awws" escaping her whenever Killian visibly touched her. Victor seemed pleased as well, throwing little winks at her whenever she caught his eye, which wasn't often considering his gaze was glued to Ruby's cleavage the majority of the time. Ruby didn't seem bothered by it. In fact, she appeared to be emboldened by his gaze, leaning forward towards the table or tugging on her shirt so it stayed scandalously low, causing Mary Margaret to glare at her in disapproval at her whenever it happened in between bouts of making sure everyone had enough to eat or drink. She was practically glowing at all of the new love blossoming around her (as far as she knew).

After dinner, they all settled in to watch a movie in the family room, Elsa sitting very pointedly on the opposite end of the room from Liam on the floor, even though he had offered his chair several times. She would shake her head each time, and involve herself with the kids as a distraction. Killian didn't hesitate to tug Emma into his arms and cuddle her into the corner of the couch, playing the part of devoted boyfriend with frightening accuracy. About halfway through the movie, some family comedy that was kid appropriate selected by Mary Margaret, Ruby and Victor decided to take their less than kid appropriate activities to the room they had already selected for themselves. The kids and Mary Margaret were all yawning by the time the movie ended, despite it being only barely 8:30. Emma was feeling the drain of the day herself, even with the nap she took earlier.

Mary Margaret offered to show everyone to the rooms, Leo showing Henry to the room they would be sharing for the duration of the visit himself, and the group followed her to the upstairs area after gathering all of their bags. They left Liam in the office first, the pull out sofa bed already set up and made, then Elsa in the smallest of the guest rooms with the single twin bed in it. It was the one that Emma usually stayed in because she was usually the only single one out of the group, Elsa always bunking with her sister, when Neal would suddenly remember something (or someone, apparently) that he had to do the weekend of their annual lake trip. But Emma wasn't alone this time, as the torrent of butterflies in her stomach as they approached the largest guest room could attest. David's scowl deepened as he seemed to realize the same thing and not so subtly suggested that Killian share a bed with his brother instead. Mary Margaret quickly put the kibosh on that, ushering them both inside and closing the door behind them. Emma turned slowly at the sound of the bags that Killian had insisted on carrying for both of them hitting the floor.

The blue of his eyes was visible from where Emma still stood by the door, even from his position at the foot of the king sized bed. His gaze swept over her from head to toe, a hunger in it that made Emma's nerves short circuit.

"So. One bed." Killian quirked a brow and all the saliva in Emma's mouth evaporated. Like she wasn't already very aware that there was only one bed in that room.

"I'm just gonna…" she pointed behind her, "bathroom…"

Before he could reply, she darted back out the door and practically slammed it behind her in her haste to escape the room (and the blazing heat between them). She pressed her back against the door for a moment, trying to still her wildly beating heart.

Bathroom. Right.

She started off towards the direction of the upstairs bathroom, feet moving quickly. So quickly that she almost ran smack dab into Liam's broad chest.

"Ah, Emma. Just the lass I wanted to see," Liam said, his tone cool and direct. Emma suppressed a scoff and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What is this, like the protective big brother talk where you see if I'm good enough for Killian?" she retorted with barely concealed irritation.

"No, because I already know you aren't."

Well. She wasn't expecting that. She blinked at him through wide eyes before she felt anger and self doubt curl tight in her belly.

"Excuse me?" she blurted, a thousand words on the tip of her tongue that she couldn't say.

"Aye, you heard me. I'm not sure what kind of game you're playing at here, if you don't think I notice when Killian touches you and you practically jump away from him, or when he speaks to you that you have some sarcastic comment at the ready to rebuff him, but I do. I've been watching you both the whole time," he said, continuing to regard her stoically. Emma felt like she had been slapped.

"He is here meeting my family for the first time. That is a pretty big deal in any relationship, so forgive me if I'm a little nervous. I know you're not used to the way we are with one another just yet, but like he already told you, we kept things quiet because we wanted some time to ourselves. It was best for both of us," she argued, her embarrassment warring with anger. It wasn't like he had said anything that was untrue.

"Best for you both? Or just best for you?" Liam asked, his eyes glittering darkly at her in the dimly lit hallway. "There must be some reason why he kept you a secret."

Emma's mouth fell open, searching for a reply but coming up empty.

"That is enough," an angry voice came from behind them both. Emma and Liam's attention both snapped to the interloper.

"Elsa," Liam breathed, surprised and slightly embarrassed.

"Don't you ever talk to Emma like that again. You have no idea who she is, the things she has been through. She has every reason to want this to remain private. And it is none of your business," she snapped icily, flinging her braid over her shoulder. Emma had rarely seen this kind of coldness from her normally reserved and thoughtful friend and it made guilt and shame wash over her in waves. She was defending Emma, and she should be grateful, but Liam was right. And the last thing she had wanted was to cause a rift between her and the man she was very clearly interested in.

"Elsa, it's fine," she said, wanting to put a stop to this.

"No, you don't just talk to people like that. He should be making the effort to get to know you, just as Killian is doing with us. Not tearing you down behind his brother's back." Elsa's voice was torn between anger and heartache. Emma felt like a horrible person, but even if she wanted to tell Elsa the truth, she couldn't betray Killian to Liam like that.

"Elsa, I'm sorry," Liam began and Elsa shook her head firmly.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," she said, raising a single brow. Liam sighed heavily and closed his eyes for several heartbeats before turning to face Emma.

"Emma I apologize for the way I've approached things with you. I promise to make a better effort for Killian's sake in the future." His voice was taut, almost as if it pained him to admit he might have been in the wrong, and under different circumstances Emma might have laughed. Especially when he darted his eyes back to Elsa to see if his apology was sufficient. She didn't miss the amused twinkle that flashed through her friend's eye in response before she hardened her glare on him again.

"Thank you, Liam. I think it's best we all go to bed." Emma reached out to touch Elsa's arm and draw her gaze from Liam.

"Oh, I still need the restroom," Elsa said quietly, cheeks pinkening slightly. Emma gave her a sympathetic smile and Liam a nod and turned around to go back to her room. In all the excitement, she'd forgotten why she had gone down there to begin with.

Until she opened the door to the bedroom, that is.

Killian was already in the large bed, very much asleep on the left side. His torso was clad in a white t-shirt and blue pinstripe pajama bottoms that she could see from the one leg poking out of the covers. Under the covers, she could see a carefully placed pillow in the center of the bed, to give them each their space. Emma's heart melted slightly at the gesture, then ached when she thought of the conversation with Liam. She wouldn't tell Killian about it. He had enough on his plate with keeping up the charade with her family this weekend.

She changed quickly into her own pajamas, never exposing more skin than she needed to in case he woke up, and slipped into her side of the bed, falling asleep surprisingly quickly.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: In case you guys haven't forgiven my absence yet, here's a DOUBLE POSTING. SURPRISE! Well. Not really, if you follow me on Tumblr (cough cough, hint hint lol) but still SURPRISE! Lol.

Thanks again for reading! Muah!

 **Chapter 8**

A soft grunt in her ear roused her just as the sun filtered in through the large picture window in the room. Emma was warm, even though it appeared she'd kicked off the blanket sometime in the middle of the night. She didn't feel overwarm, which was an unexpected relief in the fairly hot summer they had been having. She went to snuggle back into her pillow and fall back asleep for another hour or so, when she felt something solid moving behind her, a steady push and pull, almost like… breathing? Emma stiffened slightly and a weight she hadn't noticed until now across her waist tightened around her before relaxing again.

She wasn't sure when it had happened, but the pillow barrier that Killian had laid out had disappeared to who knows where and he was now pressed directly against her back, arm slid under her baggy t-shirt to rest on the bare skin of her stomach. If the steady rhythm of his breathing was anything to go by, Killian was fast asleep and Emma, in what she would later chalk up to a sleep-addled moment of weakness, decided to revel in the feeling of just being held.

Neal was rarely physically affectionate with her, outside of when he wanted in her pants. There was no cuddling, no hand holding, none of that towards the end. Sure, it had been there at first, but nowhere near the level that Killian was affectionate with her in the short time since they had begun their arrangement. It was… nice. She hadn't known she was a cuddler until this very moment. But the way, his breath tickled the hair at the back of her neck, how his hairy legs tangled with her soft and smooth where their pant legs had ridden up, the rise and fall of his firm chest at her back, the insistent arousal pressed into her backside… wait, what? Well it was nice until that.

She should have moved. She should have disentangled herself from him and left the room. But she wasn't quite ready to give the fantasy up. So, she snuggled back into his embrace carefully, as if done in her sleep - just in case - and gave in to the moment. What would it be like to wake up every morning like this? Wrapped safe and loved in someone's arms? The empty spot inside her heart where loneliness had taken up residence for so long felt like it was getting smaller and smaller. Killian sighed and snuggled closer to her in his sleep, unconsciously burying his face into her hair and another part of his anatomy further into her rear.

Emma bit her lip, her hips moving back against his automatically in response and drawing a low rumble from his chest. His arm tightened around her middle and his hips rocked forward slightly again. The thin cotton fabric of his pajama bottoms did very little to hide the impressive size of the erection that was now twitching against her through their layers. She really needed to get out of this bed.

She tried to rock away from him, but that only further pressed her backside into his hips and he let out a quiet groan this time from parted lips.

"Emma," his voice growled from behind her, shocking her still. A snort and a sigh a moment later confirmed that he was still asleep. But why would he say her name? Was he dreaming about her? Emma decided that if she stayed in bed a moment longer, she was really going to be getting her money's worth and she needed to leave. Now. Whether it woke him or not. She rolled away from Killian, throwing her legs on the floor and standing up more gracefully than she knew she was capable of. Unfortunately, it still wasn't as graceful as she would have liked because Killian was now awake as well.

"Emma?" His voice was thick with sleep still as he popped his head up and rubbed his eye, squinting at her with the other.

"Uh, bathroom," she made the excuse and fled the room before he could realize why she was really leaving. Later, she would just tell him that Henry got up early, which he would, he always did at these things, and that's why she didn't return. That would work. But first, she really did need the bathroom.

She headed downstairs after handling her business to hear laughter coming from the kitchen. She checked the large grandfather clock in the living room for the time on her way through the great room and scowled at what she saw. 7:15 am. Too ungodly early for anyone to be awake, let alone laughing in the kitchen, on vacation.

But it was Mary Margaret and David, who were used to being up with the birds as a teacher and ranch owners. Circadian rhythm was a hard thing to break. They didn't seem to mind. Henry and Leo were up already, sitting at the table playing with Hot Wheels over the placemats so they didn't scratch the rustic wood table. Mary Margaret was pouring them both orange juice and David was standing at the stove, dish towel flung over his shoulder, making pancakes.

"Mornin'," Emma said as she came into the room.

"Good morning, Emma!" Mary Margaret chirped as she turned to place the pitcher of juice on the center island. "Did you sleep well?" She smiled at her knowingly and Emma blushed, thinking of the state she'd left Killian in. Thankfully, David was more than happy to butt in.

"Pancakes? Who wants pancakes? I'm making pancakes!" he blurted, cutting off his wife's train of thought. Emma smirked and made her way over to her son and nephew.

"Say 'pancakes' again," Emma teased and David gave her an embarrassed half smile. She turned her attention to the small boys at the table, kissing them each on top of the head. "Good morning, boys."

"Morning, Mom!"

"G'morning, Aunt Emma!"

They both spoke at the same time, Henry hugging her arm fiercely from his seat before releasing her and going back to playing with their race cars. Emma took her seat and Mary Margaret slid a coffee cup in front of her, made just as she liked it, and took a seat with one of her own directly across from her.

"Good morning, all," Killian's voice rang out in the kitchen as he and Liam entered the room, both fully dressed in dark jeans and grey t-shirts, their outfits oddly almost coordinated except for the different shades of grey. Emma wondered briefly if they had planned it, and hid a smile in her coffee cup. "That smells amazing, Dave."

"Thanks. Secret family recipe," David replied with a hint of pride. The oven timer dinged and he opened it, unleashing the heavenly scent of bacon into the room.

"What's so funny?" Killian's voice was low in Emma's ear as he bent down to kiss her on her cheek. She forced herself not to react with anything but a smile, knowing Liam was watching. She hummed a noncommittal sound in response.

"Good morning, Emma," Liam said, the first words he had spoken since he walked into the room, taking Emma by surprise. Apparently, it had taken Killian by surprise as well, given his less than receptive behavior the day prior, and he quirked a brow at his brother as he sat himself next to Emma and put his arm over the back of her chair. Liam sat down next to Killian, giving her a tentative smile, and Emma realized this was him trying. She smiled a soft genuine smile back at him.

"Good morning, Liam, sleep well?" she asked and he nodded.

"Aye, quite well. That is possibly the most comfortable sofa bed I've ever slept on." He smiled at Mary Margaret next who beamed back at him. Mary Margaret launched into a detailed description of the couch brand and how they had had to replace the mattress not long ago. Liam was a good sport about it, listening and responding appropriately.

"What was that with Liam? Should I be jealous?" Killian said, his voice teasing, but his eyes simmering with heat.

"Are you?" Emma asked, looking up at him through her lashes and she heard his breath hitch at her tone. Where the hell did that come from?! She darted her eyes away and took another drink of her coffee, and involuntary hum of satisfaction working its way from her throat. Killian's tongue swiped out salaciously over his lip.

"Perhaps," he murmured, leaning in closer to her ear, sending goosebumps erupting over her skin. "You keep making those noises and I may end up in the same state you left me in this morning." Her breath caught in her throat.

A loud clatter was heard as David noisily dropped a plate of pancakes right in front of them, causing them and everyone at the table to jump.

"Sorry, slipped," David deadpanned, his eyes fixed to Killian, clearly disapproving of his proximity to his sister. Mary Margaret made a noise of irritation and followed her husband back around the table and past the island, him finishing the pancakes and her gathering plates and silverware for everyone.

"Hello," Elsa greeted, breaking the tension. A chorus of "good mornings" rang back at her and Liam stood abruptly, the wooden chair scraping roughly and noisily over the floor.

"Elsa. Good morning," he said anxiously, testing the waters to see if she was still cross with him. Killian chuckled under his breath.

"Looks like I have nothing to be jealous about, love," he whispered in Emma's ear again and Emma bit her lip to hide a smile at his brother's reaction.

"Good morning," she returned coolly, making her way to sit on the opposite end of the table from Liam across from the boys. She looked at Emma to see if everything was alright this morning and Emma smiled gently at her friend, Liam sinking back into his chair in the background.

"So, Liam, I hope you brought swimwear. After breakfast, we usually get ready to go out on the lake," Emma said pointedly to him, tearing his eyes from Elsa. Understanding blossomed in his eyes that she was extending the olive branch in front of her friend to assure her everything was okay.

"Aye, lass, I did. And I am sorry again about last night," he said genuinely, causing Killian to look down at her, brows furrowed in confusion.

"What happened last night?" he asked, now on edge. His concerned blue eyes looked between his brother and his… Emma. Emma nearly panicked when Elsa cleared her throat to speak.

"It was just a little misunderstanding, Killian. Protective big brother. They got it sorted," she said and both Emma and Liam visibly relaxed. Killian didn't. His head whipped around to his brother.

"What did you do?" he asked, a quiet angry undertone to his voice. Emma needed to distract him. She put a couple of fingers under his chin and pulled his gaze back to hers.

"Hey, it's fine. Liam loves you, he was just wary of the mystery girl you'd been hiding. We talked it out. It's okay, I promise." Her green eyes bored into his blue. He must have seen the honesty in her words because he nodded, and without thinking, Emma leaned her chin up to put a soft peck on his lips.

"Ewwwww," twin small voices said across the table, making the other adults in the room chuckle. Emma paled slightly, thinking about what she had just done. Not only had she initiated a kiss with Killian for the first time, she had done so in front of her son. She looked over at the two boys and they were already preoccupied with the plates being set in front of them by her sister-in-law, kiss forgotten. Emma breathed a sigh of relief until she looked back to Killian, who was still staring at her in wonder. They had kissed before, a couple of them much more intense than the little brush of the lips she had just done, but he looked at her like she had just presented him with the most rare and precious gift she could have ever given him. She could only smirk and shrug, feeling her face heat slightly and she looked back to where Mary Margaret was putting plates around the rest of the table. David joined them shortly thereafter with the rest of the food and they all ate in comfortable conversation about the day.

Ruby- and therefore Victor- didn't leave the room until nearly eleven. Ruby was ready to go, grabbing a cold pancake from the fridge and stuffing it in her mouth as she passed it, her hips swinging in the denim cutoffs she was sporting. Victor's eyes shamelessly roamed her body through the white mesh top she was wearing that barely concealed her red bikini top, making Emma want to cover Leo and Henry's eyes. Not at the way Ruby was dressed, it was just a bathing suit, but she hoped that she and her boyfriend could actually keep their clothes on the whole day. Shortly after breakfast, they had all gone to their separate rooms to change into their swimwear, Emma changing in the bathroom and Killian in the bedroom. Not because she was avoiding him, but because Henry needed her help. Sure, that was it. She didn't see the rest of the group again until they were all headed out the door, and even then, she didn't have time to look him over for long, because both the boys were out the door like a shot as soon as it opened, Mary Margaret and Emma chasing after them and calling them back for sunscreen before they got in the water.

Once the kids were secured in their water wings and slathered head to toe in the protective lotion, clad in their matching shark swim trunks, Mary Margaret stripped down to her modest floral printed one-piece and led them into the shallow water near the dock, she and David having been the only ones with the foresight to apply their sunblock before heading outside. Henry and Leo were both good swimmers, thankfully, and Mary Margaret was more than capable of handling them on her own for a moment while she did the same.

Emma settled the large beach blanket into place, Elsa and Ruby helping her tack it down with heavy rocks they found along the beach line, not that it was much of a beach. Nothing like the beaches Emma took Henry to on the ocean near Boston, but there was sand, a few rocks, and some greenery leading up to the water. The freshwater lake was crystal clear, blue water stretching for miles across. One of the perks about the cabin was that they had no neighbors for at least five miles in any direction, making this stretch of water almost completely their own. Every now and again, there would be a speedboat in the distance, some other people enjoying time on the lake as well, but no one came very close to them. It was very peaceful.

The men got to work unloading volleyball equipment, setting it up on a wide patch of sand not too close to the water but a little farther up the beach from the blanket. Killian and Liam still wore their grey t-shirts but they had changed into sandals and trunks, Killian's dark blue, reminding Emma of his eyes, and Liam's red, reminding her of Baywatch. She giggled to herself at the thought of the boys running in slow motion along the beach. David was clad in a plain white shirt and black and grey striped swim trunks of his own but Victor had already stripped down bare chested and wearing neon green swim trunks that made his peroxide tinted hair look even brighter in the sunshine. Once the poles and net were firmly secured, the men looked back to where the ladies were finishing setting up the blanket, umbrella, and cooler full of drinks. David turned red as a stop sign and immediately looked over to the water, before saying something Emma couldn't hear at that distance and making his way to Mary Margaret. The rest of the guys didn't even comment as he left, clearly distracted by something. Or rather, someone.

Emma looked back to where her friends were sitting behind her and Ruby had now stripped down to her swimsuit, the red top and black bottoms fitting her just enough not to be truly indecent in front of the children, and she was applying sunscreen, starting with her long tanned legs, then moving her hands up over her stomach and chest. Killian, Liam, and especially Victor, who was unashamedly tilting his head and biting his knuckles, looked like they could have been attacked by a bear at that moment and wouldn't have been able to stop looking. Emma felt hot jealousy curl in her belly, though she knew she had no right. She had no claim to Killian; he could look at whoever he pleased. She only hoped no one else noticed.

"Emma, can you get my back?" Ruby asked, holding out the tube of lotion and turning around on her knees, pulling her long brown hair over her shoulder. "I can get yours, Elsa, while she's doing mine."

"Oh great, thanks. I burn so damn easily," she grumbled and then stood, shimmying off her t-shirt and leggings to reveal a periwinkle blue halter top and royal blue boy short bottoms. Liam looked like he was going to spontaneously combust. The other two women seemed oblivious to the attention. Well, Ruby was probably used to it, but Elsa usually didn't know when a guy was staring at her, or even hitting on her, until he was asking her out, and she almost always turned the date down because she was so busy with school. Victor clapped Liam on the back and laughed, and Liam looked back to the volleyball net, testing its elasticity, but still watching the women over his shoulder. Emma caught Killian's gaze, his eyes regarding her expectantly. Emma felt a smile creep up her face and she felt like the Grinch who stole Christmas when he got his wonderful, awful idea.

"Give me just a second, Rubes," Emma said and stood, stripping off the white terrycloth wrap she had been wearing over her swimsuit. Killian's eyes tracked the cloth as it fell, revealing the burgundy two piece she was wearing. The top was ruffled, tube top style, ending just at the bottom of her bust, held in place by two thin spaghetti straps, and the bottoms had vertical stripes on them, elliptical cut outs accentuating her hips. Emma was proud of her body. Sure, there were a few silvery lines around her hips and lower belly from when she had carried Henry, but nothing too noticeable. Her tummy was soft but flat, her breasts were full, she had curves in all the right places; objectively, she thought she looked pretty good.

Killian seemed to agree, perhaps a little more so than she herself even, judging by the way his jaw slowly dropped into an open mouthed smile, his thumb coming up to rub at the scruff under his bottom lip. Emma smirked when she saw his expression, exactly the one she wanted, and sank to her knees behind Ruby, beginning to rub lotion into her friend's skin. Ruby was already rubbing cream into Elsa's shoulders. Elsa turned on her knees to face Ruby when she was done, accepting more lotion into her hands, followed by Emma, and the two of them rubbed down their fronts as well.

"MERCY!" Victor screamed and threw himself face down in the sand in front of the blanket, pretending to sob dramatically. Ruby scoffed and rolled her eyes, throwing a flip flop at him, the wide grin on her face betraying her true giddiness at his behavior. Emma chuckled and looked back down at herself, making sure there were no white streaks on her skin.

"I'll do you if you do me," Killian's husky accent murmured into her ear, innuendo obvious, making Emma jump slightly. She hadn't even noticed him sneak up behind her. Liam was rummaging through the cooler and took out two bottles of water, walking a few steps away and draining a bottle in one go. He walked back to Elsa and offered her the other, settling into the sand beside her but with a distance you could park a bus in.

All thoughts of Liam flew from her mind when Killian curled his hand around her loose blonde hair and pulled it over her shoulder. The the contact of the cool lotion (and not at all the slightly roughened hands that the lotion was on) on her skin made her gasp softly. His palms kneaded at her, starting at her shoulders and neck, fingers stopping to rub into her ears, before moving down over her shoulder blades. He let his fingers slip under the thin straps of her top and smoothed one wide palm under the wide band of the back to reach the skin there. He stopped briefly to reapply and Emma sucked in fresh oxygen, not realizing she'd been holding her breath until that point. And the air in her lungs evaporated again as his fingers and palms traced down her sides, followed by his thumbs massaging firmly into the flesh of her lower back.

He drew away after what felt like forever, and yet no time at all, the coup de grace to her sanity being a parting kiss to her bare shoulder, causing an audible "oh!" to escape her lips. He chuckled smugly against her skin and puckered his lips again to kiss the spot beneath them again before pulling his head up. He knew exactly what he was doing, of course he did. It was his job to know how to touch women. Well, she may not be an escort, but she knew a few tricks herself and two could play at this game, mister. She put on a sugar sweet smile and turned around, shaking her hair out over her shoulders.

"Mm, thanks," she said, glancing over her shoulder to make sure everyone was still occupied, especially her son. Henry and Leo were happily splashing around in the water with Mary Margaret and David, their shrieks of joy reaching her ears all the way up the beach, making her smile softly. Liam was rubbing his own suntan lotion on, his shirt gone now, the coppery curls on his well built chest now exposed to the sun, chatting with Elsa, who was refusing to make eye contact with him but replying politely. Victor and Ruby were relaxing, each of them having retrieved a beer from the cooler, Ruby on her stomach catching some rays while Victor sat next to her leaning back on his hands, looking out over the lake. She turned her attention back to Killian, who was smiling down at her suggestively.

"Your turn," she said looking down at the t-shirt he was still wearing. He only broke eye contact with her when the cotton sliding over his face prevented it any further.

Her eyes unabashedly roamed his chest, taking in the toned muscles and dark dusting of hair across his chest and trailing down his abdomen before disappearing into his low slung shorts. A tattoo in script reading "A man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets" wrapped in two rows around his left side. The V cut of his hips stood out, though he wasn't overly defined as far as muscles went. He had just the right amount of mass for Emma to see the bumps and ridges of the individual sections under his skin. On his right bicep was a tattoo she hadn't seen before, an anchor and a few letters and numbers she didn't understand, she assumed to signify his time in the navy, given Liam's matching one in the same spot. When he shuffled around on his feet, more inky designs were revealed, constellations charted on his shoulders, and a compass rose entwined with actual roses in the center. Swallowing, she poured a generous amount of lotion in her hands and warmed it between her palms. When her hands hit his skin, he shuddered, making her bite back a grin.

"Cold?" she asked, continuing to massage into his back, taking the same path his hands had taken on her.

"Aye, a little," he lied, and Emma hummed in response, continuing to swipe white streaks over the ink on his back. By the time she made it to his lower back, she realized just how badly this had backfired. Her thighs were clenching together and she was sure she had just about chewed her lip raw with each pass of her palms over his smooth skin. She immediately felt the loss when she removed her hands from his back. Killian shifted for a moment before turning around. His face was schooled into a carefully relaxed expression, but his eyes were blazing with blue fire, clearly as affected as she was by the simple act.

"Maybe I should…" she started, unable to tear her gaze from his, both of them sitting on their knees in front of one another. He grinned and stood abruptly, grasping her wrist in his hand and pulling her to her feet. "Killian, what-"

Her words were cut off by her own shriek as he scooped her up into his arms bridal style and began to march towards the water as quickly as he could, laughing out loud the whole way. He was submerged up to about hip level, goosebumps exploding over his skin at the temperature of the lake, and dipped Emma slightly so she was hovering just above the water.

"You wouldn't." She glared at him, clinging to his neck.

"Wouldn't I, love? Seems we both need to cool off a tad," he replied, loosening his grip slightly and making her squeal again and scramble for purchase on his shoulders. She had to distract him. So, she did the only thing she could think of.

And that's how for the second time that day, Emma ended up pressing her lips to Killian's. Except this wasn't an innocent peck, and thankfully the kids were a good 30 feet away from where he had led them. Her tongue swiped over his bottom lip and he opened for her on a sharp inhale, responding only seconds after she dipped in to taste him. His grip tightened on her thighs and around her back as he kissed her with fervor, drawing away only after she pulled back first. They hovered in each others space for a moment, catching their breath.

"Thank you for that darling, but it won't save you," he said and promptly dropped her in the cold water of the lake. Emma reared up out of the water, pulling her sopping hair out of her face and gasping for breath, feeling the water slosh around her waist. Killian's laughter was farther away now, and he was swimming closer to where David and Mary Margaret were still playing with the kids. David was glowering at Killian, but he didn't seem to notice.

"You," Emma gasped, flinging her wet mass of hair back behind her, "are so dead." She dove into the water after him, gliding only close enough to graze his ankle. She popped back up only briefly for air, then headed after him again. She got closer and closer, as Killian was losing speed through his laughter and trying to trudge against the lapping current before she gave one final launch and dunked him under the water. He came back up and looped his arms around her waist from behind, shaking his hair like a dog and flinging water everywhere, making Emma squeal and laugh out loud.

"Alright, I deserved that, Swan," he said, relaxing his hold on her waist, but keeping his arms where they were. "Truce?"

"Okay, truce," she agreed and wiggled out of his embrace. The only warning they got was a shriek from Ruby before looking up and seeing the rest of their friends running into the water.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:**

Hey y'all! Soooooo you remember how this fic is rated? Yeah there's some stuff happening this chapter lol. I won't say anything else. As always thank you so much to my wonderful beta @superchocovian who is amazing and fabulous and just the best and thank you as well to my dear @artistic-writer who was my second set of eyes on this and made all the beautiful art for the story. And thank you thank you to anyone who reads this. Every like, comment, reblog means more to me than I can say! I hope y'all like this newest installment

 **Chapter 9**

They swam for a while longer until the kids were well worn out and everyone was pruned. After a quick lunch, the kids dug in the sand with Elsa while David and Emma played volleyball against Liam and Killian, the former narrowly beating the latter after a heated match. Thankfully, the only injuries were to the Jones' egos. Mary Margaret had nipped inside to start dinner and Ruby and Victor had long since disappeared. Again.

Dinner was Mary Margaret's spaghetti and meatballs and afterwards they went out to the fire pit in the backyard and started a good sized blaze. Leo and Henry tuckered out early after the excitement of the day, David and Emma tucking them in around 7:30 and not even questioning once that they would be down for the night. At some point around the fire, each of them with a beer in their hand, Ruby suggested truth or dare.

It started out slow. Liam asking generic questions like "what school subject were you the best at?" and David using Emma's truths to drill her on how she met Killian. And then Victor picked dare from Killian. Emma swore if she never saw Victor Whale's pasty white ass running around the fire as he clutched his family jewels again, it would be too soon. Ruby dared Liam to kiss Elsa, which resulted in a very brief peck on the cheek, leaving them both the color of a fire engine. Mary Margaret refused to pick a dare, so Ruby asked her if she had ever had sex anywhere besides inside her home, to which she answered the affirmative with a shrug.

"What? When? How...er, where?" David stammered out. Mary Margaret leaned forward and whispered in his ear, causing him to flush bright pink and mutter a hasty "oh, yeah" with a smirk that made Emma's nose wrinkle.

"What about you, Killian?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Truth." Killian replied surely, his voice softly lilting upwards. Emma watched him carefully, her wide green eyes glued to his face in anticipation.

"Okay, when did you know you were in love with Emma?" Ruby asked, snuggling further into Victor's chest behind her.

"Oh, yes! We want to hear everything," Mary Margaret encouraged.

"Just for the record, some of us don't want to hear everything," David cut in, waving his hand in an exaggerated circle, nose wrinkled in disgust. Mary Margaret rolled her eyes as nudged him quietly before barreling ahead with inquiries at a machine gun's pace.

"Did you know on your first date? Who said it first? Was it in the heat of passion?"

"That, for instance, is one of the things I don't want to know about," David interjected again, Liam nodding his emphatic agreement. Emma couldn't look away from Killian who shifted to leaning his elbows on his knees, his fingers folded together and his thumbs circling one another. His eyes were fixed on the fire, the blue of them highlighted by gold reflections, and his brows were pulled together in thought.

"I don't suppose it was one moment in particular," he began and everything fell silent except the sounds of the crickets around them and an occasional bird calling out in the night. "When I first saw her, I thought she was beautiful, of course, but it's when I spoke to her I knew she was something special. She actually walked out on me," he said with a chuckle. "I slipped her my card before she went, on the off chance she'd want to call. I think I knew after that first meeting that this thing between us had potential to be something extraordinary," he said, his voice clear and even, and Emma's heart was pounding so hard she thought it was going to break a rib. His eyes came up to meet hers as he continued.

"Luckily for me, I must have made an impact and she did call. Then I started spending time with Emma. And I learned more about her, and her beginnings, and her life. I was thrilled and saddened all at once to realize I'd found a kindred spirit in her. Thrilled I'd found someone who understood, and sad because she should have never had to endure the things she had. But it made her who she is: brave, kind, loyal, tenacious, all qualities that make her an amazing person. The amazing person I fell in love with." Emma's breath hitched and she felt unexpected tears prick at her eyes as she stared up at the man beside her. His eyes stayed locked to hers, bright and open as he spoke.

"I think that love starts as a spark. That first spark you feel when you connect with someone. The one I felt with Emma when we met. And every action she has made since has only fanned it into a larger flame. I'd let it burn me alive," he murmured, and Emma knew he was speaking directly to her now. Their friends and family faded away. It was just the two of them. Killian seemed to remember himself first and shook his head lightly before turning back to face the others, the apples of his cheeks flushed pink. "When I realized that, I knew it had to be love." He shrugged with a quick dismissive expression, as if he hadn't just bared his soul to Emma in front of all of them. Emma finally tore her eyes away from Killian and looked around the circle.

Ruby was grinning widely at Killian as Victor pressed a kiss to her hair. Elsa had her knees hugged to her chest, a dreamy expression on her face. Mary Margaret was openly crying, tears streaming down her face that she was trying to wipe away with her fingers, and even David looked reluctantly impressed. Liam was looking straight at Emma, waiting for a reaction. He got one, but maybe not the one he was expecting. Or maybe it was, given their previous conversations.

Either way, Emma found herself standing swiftly, a lump lodged in her throat like a cork keeping the pressure of her emotional state safely bottled in. She had to get out of there before she popped like a champagne bottle on New Year's Eve.

"Emma?" Mary Margaret asked, concerned.

"Are you alright, Emma?" Ruby's voice filtered in when she didn't answer.

"Uh, excuse me," she said, and practically ran into the house. She took the stairs so quickly she worried briefly about waking her son and nephew, but she needed to get to her room. Their room, her brain oh so helpfully reminded her. She closed the door behind her, flicking the bedside lamp on, and went to sit on the bed, Killian's speech running through her head.

If there were two things Emma Swan was good at, it was finding people who didn't want to be found and being able to tell when someone was lying. The thing that rattled her the most was the fact that not once in the whole time Killian was speaking did anything he was saying feel like it wasn't true. This made him either one hell of an actor, or…

No, this was not real. He couldn't have been telling the truth. He didn't love her. He was just doing his job. But why would he say those things specifically? Why would he make it so personal? His words had made her heart swell to bursting before reality came crashing back down and the spell was broken along with the connection of their eyes. For a moment, she had let herself believe it was true. Killian may not have a career that Emma necessarily agreed with, despite hiring him herself, but he was a good man. Any woman would be damn lucky to have someone so thoughtful and affectionate, not to mention devastatingly handsome. It felt amazing, in those fleeting seconds she had allowed herself to hope, to have someone speak about her like she was so cherished and her heart physically ached when reality came crashing down.

But this only brought her back to the why. Why did she even feel this way? Even if what Killian had said was 100% true, she certainly wasn't in love with him. Absolutely not. It was just a crush, at most. Emma wasn't blind, of course she was attracted to him, that's how this all started in the first place, shallow as it sounded. But as they continued to talk and get to know one another, texting tid bits of their weeks, falling into a normalcy between one another, she liked to believe she had become friends with him. And so what if she was stupidly attracted to him? So what if he was the first person she thought of when she woke up after Henry, and the last one she thought of before falling asleep? So what if he made her heart beat faster and her stomach fill with butterflies? So what? It wasn't love. It wasn't.

It wasn't?

A soft knock on the door made her head snap up and out of her train of thought.

"Swan? Are you in there, love?" Killian's voice was muffled through the thick wood of the door, barely audible, but he didn't open it. What she could make out sounded concerned and gentle. Her heart flipped at the sound, touched by the fact that he sought her out to make sure she was alright. She felt that strange sensation of hope trickle back in and she was torn between opening the floodgates or sealing up the dam.

Maybe, just for tonight, she could let the trickle be. Maybe it was the one and a half beers she drank (unlikely) or the hot and heavy flirting and kissing all day (more likely) that had pushed her to this point. Maybe she was trying to prove something. Maybe, like that morning, maybe she could just be in the moment.

She stood and stalked across the room, opening the door just as Killian was poised to knock again.

"Emma," he blurted, surprised. She didn't respond with words, only reached out and tugged him inside by the t-shirt he had redressed in after their swim, letting the door fall shut behind him. He stumbled past her with the momentum and she turned and slid the lock into place as he righted himself. They stared at each other in silence for a long minute.

"Swan, I'm sorry. I know we hadn't discussed any of that, and it all just came out, I couldn't stop it-" he began and she cut him off with a wave of her hand.

"I don't care," she said making him blink at her in shock as she walked closer to him. "I don't care if you really meant it. Don't tell me if you did or didn't. Tonight, I really don't want to know. I just want to pretend that you did," Emma finished desperately before hauling Killian forward by the front of his shirt and smashing her lips into his for the third time that day.

He grunted at the contact, stunned still by her kiss, hands coming up automatically to grip at the terrycloth cover near her hips that she had put back on over her bathing suit after swimming for balance. She tugged at his lips with her own, nipping at his bottom lip with her teeth until he opened for her on a muffled groan. She pushed her tongue past his lips, teasing and tasting until he was kissing her back. His pace was slow and reserved where hers was hard and desperate and her small hand wriggled between them to grab him by the waist of his shorts and pull him closer. He pulled back from her with a groan, just enough to look into her eyes, arms twining around her waist to hold her closer.

"Love, wait, are you certain this is what you want? Because if it is, I will be more than glad to indulge you, but I need you to be sure." His eyes were sincere, though already heated, searching hers for an honest answer and she licked her lips. She could feel herself shaking in his arms, desire and nerves rolling through her being.

She was nowhere near as experienced as he was. In fact, the most complete sexual relationship she'd ever had was with Neal (which wasn't saying much) and a flicker of fear flashed through her that she might let him down. It wasn't enough to change her very made up mind, though. She just needed to convince him she was serious. She took a deep breath and ran her hands up his cotton covered chest, looping them behind his neck loosely.

"I want you." Her voice was soft, barely more than a whisper, but honest and insistent still. He searched her eyes for any sign of uncertainty to the point where she was wondering if he'd even heard her.

"You're sure? Because, it's alright if you're not, love. I know I've been a little heavy handed with the affection as of late, but I don't want you to feel like I'm pressuring you for anything." His brows were knitted together, worried that this wasn't something she really wanted. She smiled softly at him, this ridiculously patient man who had pushed her limits, but never pushed her too far.

"Killian, I promise you. This is what I want," she said, her voice marginally louder than before and she felt a shiver run through his body as she spoke. She could see the conflicting want and apprehension in his eyes as they flickered over her face.

"I just don't want you to do anything you'll regret tomorrow, love," he breathed, his arms tightening around her waist, practically begging her not to go in contradiction to his words. Emma let her head drop back in exasperation, her weight supported by her arms still around his neck.

"Jones, I swear to every god, if you ask me if I'm sure again I'm going to strangle you. Yes. I am one hundred million percent sure. Now, are you gonna do something or-"

"As you wish," he growled and crushed his lips back to hers. One of his hands plunged into her hair, angling her head so he could deepen the kiss more, and she responded greedily. Her arms had tightened around his neck as they drank each other in, the movement of their mouths deep and searching, like they were trying to memorize one another in case this never happened again. His right arm cinched tight around her waist, pulling her torso flush with his. Her skin was prickling with sensation as their mouths stayed sealed tight to one another's until the need for air became too much and they broke apart, each sucking in lungfuls of oxygen. He didn't slow down, though, his lips catching the corner of her mouth and then trailing down her jaw as he slipped his hand from her hair down to her waist to meet his other arm. He lifted her so the tips of her toes were barely touching the hardwood floor as he nipped and suckled at her neck up to her ear, walking her backwards towards the bed.

"All day, I've watched you run around in that little suit of yours," he growled in her ear, giving her lobe a sharp nip and she gasped. "Thought I was going to lose my mind when you dropped this thing." He gave her cover a sharp tug, pulling it free from her body, leaving her standing before him in just the suit again. He stepped back, and dropped his gaze to her lust pinkened skin, taking in every curve intently. His eyes were blazing, ravenous, and there was no warning before he tackled her backwards onto the mattress.

His hands were everywhere, cupping her face and pulling her into a deep kiss, running down her ribs and pressing in hard with his fingers once he reached her hips, toying with the edges of her suit but not delving past it. His lips and tongue pressed everywhere they could reach, trailing love bites across her collarbones, kissing over the line of her jaw, before coming back up and plunging into her mouth again.

Her own hands were not idle, either. She ran her fingers up underneath the soft fabric of his shirt, tracing over the lines of muscles in his back, digging her nails in involuntarily when he grazed over a particularly pleasurable area. When she dipped below the fabric of his trunks to smooth her palm over the bare flesh of his ass, he really seemed to snap.

He reared up onto his knees suddenly, straddling over her thighs, and ripped his shirt over his head, tossing it aside without a care for where it landed, before reaching down and hooking his thumbs into the fabric of her top and peeling it upward over her head as well. It, too, was tossed aside in much the same manner, and Killian froze once it was gone, eyes roaming over her porcelain skin, taking every inch in and committing it to memory. She fought the urge to cover herself under his intense gaze, and he must have noticed, because his eyes snapped back up to meet hers.

"You are bloody gorgeous, sweetheart," he said, sliding back down to cover her body with his own. Emma gasped at the connection of skin on skin, his chest hair rubbing deliciously against her nipples, drawing them into taut peaks. Killian took advantage of her open lips and kissed her again, his tongue sliding over hers with a precision she had never experienced with anyone else. He began his path of kisses downward again, taking time to kiss the hollow of her neck. At the same time, his hands worked their way upward, skimming over the skin of her waist and ribs before settling on either side of her breasts.

He lifted himself off of her slightly and looked down to her exposed chest before sliding his palms inwards and cupping a breast in each of them, pushing them together, feeling their weight. Emma's head fell back and her eyes fell closed at the sensation. They didn't stay that way for long because the moment Killian leaned down and enveloped her rosy nipple into the heat of his mouth, her eyes flew back open and locked onto his. His eyes were darker, pupils blown wide in want, and he sank his teeth into the flesh around her areola with the perfect amount of pressure, holding her gaze all the while. She was certain this man was going to be the death of her already, but it would be a hell of a way to go.

"You taste divine," he moaned, running a stripe up over her sternum with his tongue, before sucking bruises into the soft flesh of her other breast and licking its nipple into his mouth. Emma keened, almost a little too loudly and buried a hand into his hair, holding his face to her chest and digging the fingers of her other hand into the flesh near his spine. His hips rolled down into hers, his very prominent arousal pressing into her belly, making her gasp and roll her own hips upward, seeking friction. She couldn't get much, his legs braced on either side of hers, restricting her movements. She let out a frustrated growl and tugged on his hair.

"Something wrong, love?" he asked teasingly, pushing his hips back down into her again. "Is there something you want?" She growled again and tugged his hair a little harder, trying to buck up into him. He chuckled, drawing a lazy circle around her nipple with his tongue, making her arch into him. "Use your words, darling," he said, and she sat up, pulling him with her by the hair, his hands sliding down to her waist.

"I need you to touch me. Right now," she said breathlessly.

"As you wish," he repeated his words from earlier, and pressed a hard kiss to her mouth, pushing her back into the mattress and slipping his hands down to toy with her bikini line. He traced the edges, so close to where she wanted him but never dipping beyond the stretchy material. She was just about to yell at him to get on with it when he curled his fingers into them and began pulling them down her legs. He stood at the edge of the bed as the bottoms to her swimsuit finally came free of her completely, exposing her to his gaze. His blue eyes were nearly black as they wandered over her body and Emma felt a flush climb up her face and down over her breasts under his scrutiny.

"You're beautiful," he murmured, sinking back onto his knees on the bed and picking up her ankle. He pressed a soft kiss to the inside of it, feathering light brushes of his lips up the side of her calf and knee, trailing up to her inner thigh. Killian began to settle himself between her legs, pushing them wider, continuing to kiss and nip his way upwards. He wasn't going to do…that...was he?!

"Wait, Killian, wait," she said, reaching down to push at his head lightly, her embarrassment at her inexperience rearing its ugly head. He looked up in confusion, his dark brows furrowed together.

"Did I hurt you, love?" he asked hastily, his lust addled expression now full of conflict.

"No, no, God no," she reassured him hurriedly. "It's just, you don't have to...do that… I know guys don't like it or whatever…" she reasoned, her face flushing scarlet. He looked at her like she had just grown a second head.

"Guys don't what now?" he asked, setting her leg aside and kneeling between her thighs. Emma felt very exposed, but she couldn't close her legs in the position he was in, so she wrapped her arms around her middle and looked off to the side.

"You know," she insisted. "The taste and stuff, it's gross, right?" she said quietly, thoroughly embarrassed. Killian continued to stare at her in flabbergasted silence, his eyebrows nearly arched to his hairline. And then he laughed out loud, a sound that seemed to have punched its way from his mouth. Emma's forehead creased angrily and she made to roll out from underneath him. His laughter died off as he swiftly covered her body with his, his arms caging her on either side as he braced himself on his elbows, preventing her escape. She fixed her eyes to a spot on the wall.

"Emma, please look at me," he said softly. "I didn't mean to laugh, love. It's just… I don't know what incompetent sods you were dealing with before, but some guys very much enjoy doing that, as you so eloquently put it." He hummed out another amused sound and she looked cautiously up to meet his gaze.

"Whatever," she said, not believing him in the slightest. Well, maybe just the slightest. Killian lifted a single eyebrow at her in challenge. He continued to look into her eyes as his fingers traced down her left side, and danced over her hip, causing her breath to hitch. When he reached her center, he pressed one finger into her slit, dragging it upwards and collecting her arousal on the pad of it. She sucked in a breath at the contact, but it was over as soon as it had started. His hand instead worked free from between them and he brought his long middle finger to his lips, sucking it into his mouth immediately, his eyes boring into hers as he did it. A satisfied rumble that Emma felt as much as heard worked its way up from his chest.

"Ambrosia," he said huskily as he released the digit from his sinful lips. She swallowed thickly and stared up at him in utter shock. "Still don't believe me?" She could do little more than shake her head. He dipped his finger down between her folds, and brought it up between their faces once again. "Trust me?" he asked and she nodded without hesitation. He brought his finger to her lips and gently touched them, smearing arousal there. On reflex, her tongue flicked out and she tasted herself. It was...strange. Tangy, and somewhere between sweet and salty, it wasn't entirely unpleasant. It wasn't the best thing she'd ever tasted, but it definitely wasn't gross. Killian sucked the remainder from his digit again like it was his favorite flavor lollipop, making Emma's thighs clench around him involuntarily. Killian's hips rutted against her center in response, the fabric of his swim trunks scraping against her bare skin, and he groaned low in his throat at the friction, eyes squeezing closed for a moment. He reopened them slowly and cracked them to hers like a lightning bolt.

"Swan, I will never make you do anything you don't want to do, but trust me when I say I really, really want to do this for you," he said, his breath drawing deeper now.

"O-okay," she said and she suddenly felt like a blushing virgin again. Except they weren't in the backseat of a stolen yellow bug and she was actually enjoying herself. He grinned like he'd been awarded the map to El Dorado, pressing another hard, lingering kiss to her mouth before eagerly sliding back down her body, placing open mouthed kisses here and there on his way. She pushed herself up on her elbows to better see him.

Running his rough palms against the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, splaying them wide, made a shudder run through her body. His gaze was glued to her sex and he licked his lips before forcibly pulling his eyes back up to hers.

"Let me know if I do anything you don't like. Or if I do something you do like. And there will be something you do," he said with a wink and Emma couldn't bring herself to snark back at his cocky teasing, only nodding swiftly in response, body vibrating with anticipation. His eyes only dipped briefly to position himself before looking back up into hers as he licked his first wide stripe from her entrance to her clit. Like striking a match, the drag of his tongue set her on fire, her eyes rolling back into her head, which dropped back of its own accord. He stopped immediately. "Ah-ah, eyes on me, love," he said, and her head popped back up, her eyes finding his once more. Once he was sure she was watching, he bowed his head to her flesh again, flicking his tongue out to taste.

Emma's body came alive at the contact, his talented tongue circling her clit and dipping into her entrance as far it could reach, stoking a fire in her belly. Every swipe of the muscle brought the coil building at her core tighter until she thought she was going to snap. He lightened his ministrations, leaving little kitten licks at the bundle of nerves above her opening, making the fire recede only slightly. She was panting now, so close to her peak before he had pulled back. He started to slowly circle her clit again, before his lips latched on and he sucked hard, a finger probing at her entrance now before dipping inside, just barely. Emma sank back onto the pillows, her head propped just enough to continue to watch but freeing her hand to clap over her mouth to drown out the moan that ripped from her throat. She was so close, she just needed a little more…

Killian lessened the contact again, pulling her back from the edge and she groaned in irritation. He chuckled against her, his tongue reaching out to cover her again. He flattened his tongue against her and pulsed it slightly against her clitoris, making her hips jump of their own accord. Keeping her legs pinned with his elbows, one hand came up over her mound and pulled her lips apart, exposing her further, and his other hand maneuvered to her opening. He looked into her eyes once more as he simultaneously latched on to her clit again with his lips and slid a thick finger inside of her. He twisted the finger, sliding it in and out of her heat before slipping another in beside it, curling them upwards. Before long, he grazed a spot inside of her that had her pelvis practically leaping from the bed, held back only by his strong forearms. He growled into her, vibrating the flesh beneath his lips and making Emma clench her hand tighter around her mouth to keep from sobbing out loud with pleasure, the other fisting in the bedsheets.

"Killian," she panted, uncurling her fingers from her grip reddened cheeks, making him groan at the sound of his name on her lips in that tone. "Please, don't stop, please…" Emma had never begged in bed before, but then again, she'd never been to bed with Killian Jones before.

"Aye, love. You're so close. Come for me, let me feel it," he replied, then dove back in, doubling down his efforts, and Emma was gone, chasing that release eagerly as his lips, tongue, and fingers worked in tandem to bring her closer to her bliss. His tongue slipped downwards to thrust in beside his fingers and his thumb slid down from where he was holding her apart to cover her now neglected bud, pushing down hard and that was it for her.

She exploded, writhing and moaning loudly into her hand again, her hips rocking freely against his face, walls squeezing his fingers and tongue tightly. Killian gently coaxed her through her climax until she was sure she couldn't take anymore. A few parting licks later, he pulled his face and hands away from her, gently running his palms over her skin to calm her. Her heart felt like it was going to race right out of her chest, her chest heaving, sucking in precious oxygen. Emma felt boneless, but more wound up than ever. She wanted him. Bad.

He really is a sexpert, she thought and a maniacal giggle burst from her now freed lips. Killian looked down at her curiously, before stretching up over her, his mouth and chin slicked with the remnants of her orgasm and hovering just over her own.

"And just what is so funny, my darling?" he asked, amused.

"I was just thinking that you really should get new business cards," she joked. His eyes sparkled in recognition and he huffed out a short laugh before covering her mouth with his again, and she found that she tasted even better on his lips. Their lips pushed and pulled hungrily against one another's, tongues tangling together in a dance like they had been doing this forever. His pelvis was slotted between her thighs now, his still clothed erection rutting insistently into the crease between her thigh and hip. She rolled her own hips up to meet his, making him groan into her mouth. She worked her small hand between them and gripped the waistband to his shorts, fumbling for the laces that held them in place. Before she could tug them free, he stiffened and pulled away, looking down at her in alarm.

"What?" she asked, her senses now on alert as well.

"Emma, love, I don't have any protection. I didn't think… well I certainly wasn't expecting this to happen, and while I am pleasantly surprised, I don't think it's a good idea we go any further," he said, his chest still rising and falling rapidly, raging disappointment in his eyes.

"Oh," she said softly, and then an idea came to her. "Hold that thought. Ruby and her ex used this room last time. Maybe she left something behind." She wriggled out from under Killian and he rolled to his side to give her more room as she practically ripped the drawer to the nightstand out from it's encasement. Right in front was a small, unopened cardboard box of condoms, a sticky note attached to the top.

Be safe,

XOXO MM

She didn't know whether or not to cry out with joy or die of embarrassment. She settled with presenting the box to Killian triumphantly, crumpling the Post-It in her fist and throwing it over her shoulder. His answering smile was predatory, and she had the distinct impression that she was the prey. His lips crashed into hers again as he rose up on his knees, cupping her face between his hands, the box falling to the mattress beside them. He moved and Emma followed, scooting to the edge of the bed and quickly unknotting the shorts, pressing hot kisses into his stomach that made his abdominal muscles jump under her tongue and licking up over the script on his side. He threaded his fingers through her hair and tilted her head up when she pushed his shorts down, kissing her roughly as he stepped out of them. His hand fisted in her locks when her small hand crept up his thigh and wrapped around his member, a feral growl rumbling out against her lips.

She pumped his generous length slowly, circling her thumb over the tip before he pushed off of her and grabbed for the box of protection, ripping open the cardboard and sending the foil packets flying. He stood and picked one up, bringing a trail of them behind it, and Emma finally was able to peruse his body in all its naked glory. He looked absolutely wrecked. His eyes were wide and blazing as he studied the packet for the expiration date, stubbled jaw clenched tightly, dark hair sticking up at odd angles from where she'd gripped at it. His chest was glistening with sweat, making the hair there curlier, his tattoos rippling with every movement of his muscles. His lean waist tapered into his hips with a prominent V, leading her eye to his impressive manhood. His cock was heavy, twitching against his thigh and freely leaking precum, making Emma's mouth water.

Taking advantage of his distraction with the birth control, she leaned forward and grasped him in her palm, licking a stripe underneath him. He gasped, dropping the strip of condoms again, as she sucked as much of him into her mouth as possible. His taste was much better than her own, salty and clean, and she wanted more, but when the head of his cock bumped the back of her throat, he cupped her jaw fiercely, pulling her upright and smashing his lips back to hers in a breath stealing kiss. He moved them back to the mattress, pulling the strip of packets with him, and drove her back into the pillows.

"As lovely as your mouth is, Swan, when I come I intend to be buried inside your delectable quim," he murmured against her lips and swallowed her answering moan in an all consuming kiss. He reared up and tore a packet open violently with his teeth, sheathing himself in the latex and sinking back down onto his forearms above her. Working one hand between them, he lined himself up with her entrance and pushed forward, looking straight into Emma's soul through her eyes as he did. She couldn't have looked away if she wanted to. He stilled, allowing her to adjust to his size, laying soft kisses against her jaw and neck.

"Killian, please move, I need you to move," she pleaded, clawing at his back desperately. She was sure she was leaving marks, but neither of them could bring themselves to care.

"As you wish," he whispered again before pulling almost all the way out of her heat and slamming back home, setting a punishing pace. Her hips rocked up to meet his on every thrust, making him groan against her skin where his face was buried in the curve of her neck. Her hand slid up the planes of his back, feeling welts forming already from her nails, and sunk her fingers into his sweat slicked hair. She steered his mouth to hers, but neither of them had the solidity of mind to actually form a kiss. Instead, they rested their foreheads together as they moved in sync, breathing in each others air. He reached up and grasped both of her hands, lacing their fingers together and pressing them into the mattress above her head. Killian swivelled his hips in time with her heartbeat, bringing her higher and higher until she was sure it would be the death of her to fall.

He released her hands and his arms wrapped around her tightly, anchoring her to Earth and making her feel safe and warm, pulling her up with him as he rose onto his knees, his body never disconnecting from hers, but changing the angle until he was reaching depths that no one had ever reached before. He was almost painfully deep inside her, and surprisingly, it only added to her pleasure. Her head fell back in a silent scream at the sensation. She rocked her hips against his as he continued to roll up underneath her, his lips and teeth attacking the exposed flesh of her neck as they rode towards their climax together.

"Emma...oh my God, I'm not going to last much longer," he said anxiously, desperately holding off his own pleasure until she had reached hers again. "You're...you're fucking beautiful, amazing, bloody wonderful, God, Emma, I don't… I need you to come, please, love, come with me." She wasn't expecting him to be the one to end up begging, and hearing how much he was affected by this, too, was her undoing. She detonated in his arms, and he fell over the edge immediately with her, smothering their cries of completion with a deep, searching kiss.

Killian collapsed forward, taking Emma with him, still cradling her body close to his as his hips stuttered through a few final thrusts, drawing out their pleasure as long as possible. He pulled himself up slightly, bringing his weight off of her on shaking arms and looked down at her blissed out expression. Neither of them could speak, simply gasping for breath, their sweat coated skin sticking together, not entirely uncomfortable. As Killian's erection began to deflate, he reached between them, gripping the base of his cock and pulling out to keep the condom in place. He disposed of it in the bedside trash, cleaning himself with a few tissues and offering Emma the box as well. She took it gratefully, as she wasn't sure either of their legs could carry them into the bathroom, and vowed to take out the trash first thing in the morning.

They both lay back on their backs beside each other, silently staring at the ceiling, letting their heart rates slow and their skin cool. She shivered at the sudden chill she felt and Killian chuckled breathlessly, rolling to his side and throwing an arm around her waist, tugging her closer to him. She went willingly, snuggling into his bare chest, marvelling at the easiness of all of it.

He pulled up the blanket that had balled itself at the end of the bed during their amorous activities and flicked off the lamp. As soon as darkness descended on the room, Emma felt her eyes flutter shut and sleepiness settle in. He pressed a kiss to her hair and nuzzled his face into it as he sank down into the pillows, still holding her close. She began to drift into sleep and the last thing she could process was Killian murmuring something unintelligible into her hair and squeezing her tight one more time.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Hey y'all, I'm back with a new chapter! I'm so sorry I didn't get to update last week. 2019 has not been particularly kind to me thus far and I got a little punched in the face by stuff in real life. I hope you guys will forgive me! This chapter is the much anticipated aftermath and also a transition into the wedding from hell lol so I hope you guys like it! Only a couple chapters left! Big thanks to @superchocovian who was the most wonderful, helpful, awesome beta ever for the project, and thank you thank you to my wonderful Wondertwin @artistic-writer who also beta'd this and made all the wonderful art that posted with it! And thank you to every single one of you for reading and commenting, I'm so so glad you all are liking this story. Here we go!

 **Chapter 10**

She woke up alone. It wasn't anything new, but somehow the bed felt colder without Killian next to her, despite the already rising temperature of the day. She rubbed her hands over her face and sat up, clutching the blanket to her chest, though there was no one around to see her nudity on display. She rocked backwards to sit up and something crinkled behind her. A sheet of paper folded in half lay behind her and she picked it up.

Emma,

I didn't have the heart to wake you. You are absolutely breathtaking in the morning, especially in peaceful slumber. Come downstairs when you wake, and I will have your coffee waiting.

Yours, K

Emma smiled softly and she was surprised to find that she didn't regret what had happened the night before. She stowed the note in her bag as she fished out a white cami and dark jeans, along with some underwear and made towards the bathroom to take a shower.

She stripped down, unable to remove the smile from her face, humming softly to herself. She didn't think she'd ever felt this good the morning after. Which should have been strange in and of itself, but it wasn't. She turned around and caught her reflection in the mirror and her jaw dropped almost to the floor.

She looked like she'd been attacked. There were trails of dark elliptical shaped bruises down one side of her neck and across her clavicle. A cluster of them lie at the edges of her breasts and there were even two smaller lighter ones on her ribcage. She looked down at herself in shock. Killian Jones, male escort, professional sexpert, and pretend boyfriend on holiday with her family and his brother had marked her up like a teenager at a make out party.

She looked her body over, trying to remember everywhere his lips had been (which was pretty much everywhere) and discovered another series of bruises on her inner thigh. Now she knew why he really didn't wake her this morning. He didn't want his ass kicked.

David would kill him if he saw these. And there was no way she could explain them to her son. She wondered briefly if she could get away with wearing a turtleneck in June. She didn't even know where to find a turtleneck, let alone attempt to wear one in this heat. She scrambled for her phone, which she had set with her clothes on the counter and fired off a quick text to Ruby.

ES 9:37 am

Bring makeup to upstairs bathroom in 20 mins. Emergency!!!!!!!!

She jumped in the shower after hitting send and scrubbed herself as quickly as she could. As she was stepping out and wrapping a towel around her, rapid knocking sounded at the door.

"It's me!" Ruby stage whispered on the other side. Emma wrenched the door open, hiding her body behind it as Ruby scurried inside, large zebra print makeup case in hand. "What happened? What's the emergency?" she asked, digging through the kit to make sure it was all in there. Emma turned around slowly and Ruby looked up, her eyes blowing wide almost immediately.

"Holy shit," she blurted, her smile widening by the second.

"Help me fix it before someone sees!" Emma hissed at her friend.

"David is gonna kill him," Ruby said, her grin not lessening in the slightest.

"Which is why I need your help here!" she replied, stamping her foot.

"Okay, okay," she fake grumbled and turned to dig through her kit for the items she needed. "I have to admit, when you ran upstairs so quick last night, we all thought you were gonna freak out. But I'm glad to see you got your freak on instead," Ruby said with a wink making Emma groan.

A half an hour later, Emma felt like she had about a hundred pounds of makeup on her visible skin, but at least the hickeys were mostly covered. She ran back to her room and slipped a light flannel over her cami, hoping the collar and layers and layers of foundation would be enough to camouflage the damage, before heading downstairs.

Mary Margaret was cleaning in the kitchen, getting the cabin ready to close back up until the Fourth of July when they would come back out here again. Leo was sitting at the table drawing a picture, looking quite sullen.

"Good morning," Emma said, walking into the kitchen. She walked over to her nephew and ran her hand over his brown hair, her brow creasing in concern. "What's wrong, buddy?"

"We had a little… mishap this morning," Mary Margaret said cautiously, stepping around the island and handing Emma a cup of coffee.

"What? What happened?" Emma asked, accepting the cup and meeting her sister-in-law's eyes. She looked around the room. "Wait, where's Henry? Is he still asleep?"

"Ah, no," Mary Margaret said evasively, picking up her own mug of coffee and taking a sip before continuing. "He was playing with Leo-"

"It's all my fault!" Emma looked down in surprise at her nephew's wail. She cupped his head and hugged him to her waist, her fear level rising, shushing the small boy as Mary Margaret looked on sympathetically.

"Hey, it's okay, I'm sure it wasn't that bad," she said, trying to convince herself as much as Leo.

"It really isn't," Mary Margaret assured her, coming over to pull her son into her arms. "Leo and Henry were playing in the living room before breakfast and Leo mentioned that he liked Killian, but uh, he… called Killian Henry's new dad." Emma froze, her hand stilling in its carding through Leo's short hair. "Henry got a little upset."

"Where is he?" Emma said, struggling to keep her voice even.

"He's on the dock," she replied, setting her son back in his seat and Emma looked up at her alarmed.

"Alone?!" she shrieked, heading towards the kitchen exit immediately.

"Of course not, Emma, honestly." Mary Margaret tutted, making Emma pause with the door half open. "Killian is with him." Emma's heart started beating faster and she darted out the door, not caring what Mary Margaret thought about her rush.

She could see the two figures sitting side by side at the end of the long platform as she walked briskly across the yard and onto the sand separating her from the wooden planks. Killian and Henry looked deep in conversation. Killian's forearms were resting on his bent legs and Henry was sitting cross legged throwing a collection of rocks at this side into the lake water. She decided calm and cautious was the way to go about this, so she stepped lightly onto the platform and made her way down to the end.

"I don't want you to be my new dad. I like my dad," she heard Henry say and her heart cracked a little more at the words coming from her son's mouth directly.

"I'm not going to replace your father, lad," Killian replied gently. "What your mother and I have… well, I care for her very much. And I care a great deal for you as well, Henry. I'm not trying to be your father, but I'd like to be your friend, if you'd let me."

Henry blinked up at him with big hazel eyes, Emma still remaining a decent distance behind them, unnoticed. Killian smiled down at him warmly.

"But you're a grown up and I'm just a kid," he said, breaking eye contact. Killian placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You're not just anything, Henry. You're a very bright lad, with a big heart, and an excitement for life. I'd be a fool not to want to be your friend," Killian said. Henry looked back up at him and a bright smile crept over his cheeks.

"Okay. We can be friends," Henry agreed, the lightness back in his tone. He paused for a moment to pick up another rock and throw it into the water. "Do you love my mom?"

Emma felt her heart jump into her throat and she coughed, gaining their attention. Killian smiled softly as his eyes met hers.

"That's a conversation for another day, lad. Seems someone's come to check on you," he told the boy, holding Emma's gaze.

"Everything alright out here?" she asked carefully, not wanting to reveal how much she had heard. She walked towards them and they both stood, Killian with a groan.

"I'm okay, Mom," Henry said and moved into his mother's arms, wrapping his tiny ones around her waist. She cradled her son's head against her stomach, bending to place a kiss on the crown of his head.

"Okay, good," she said against his hair. She cupped his cheeks "Why don't you run inside? We've got to pack up and get on the road soon."

"Alright, Mom," he said grudgingly, not wanting to leave their little piece of paradise so soon.

"We'll come back soon," she said with a laugh and pushed him gently towards the end of the dock. As he ran off towards the house, Killian came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, placing a soft kiss to her shoulder.

"I can't sit like that anymore. At least, not after a night like last night," he chuckled. Emma furrowed her brow and turned in his arms, slapping him on the shoulder, but not pulling from his embrace. "Ow! What was that for?"

"You know exactly what that was for, you asshole," she said, trying and failing to sound cross with him. His grin widened as his arms folded on her lower back, drawing her closer.

"I have no idea what you are referring to, my love," he said, making Emma's heart skip a beat at the possessive addition to his frequent endearment. He flicked her hair over her shoulder and let his gaze dip to her neck, letting her know that he absolutely knew what she was talking about.

"I had to ask Ruby make me look like I wasn't involved in a car crash this morning, and you have 'no idea what I'm referring to'?"

"I suppose I got just a tad carried away."

"A tad?!" she exclaimed, wrenching down the front of her camisole to expose the inner skin of her cleavage and the several bruises left there that they didn't cover. Killian's eyes darkened rapidly at the new exposure of flesh and the sight of his marks on her otherwise unblemished skin.

"More than a tad?" he offered, eyes glued to her chest. She smacked his shoulder again and he looked up at her with a flinch and a grin. "Alright, alright. If you're looking for an apology, though, I'm afraid I have none to offer." His grin turned salacious as he leaned in towards her ear. "But if you need to have the rest of your wounds inspected, I'd be honored to take on the responsibility, being the sexpert in this situation." He winked and Emma groaned.

"I think I have it covered, Captain Innuendo," she quipped and pulled from his embrace, beginning her walk back towards the house. "Coming?" she called over her shoulder after him. He jogged up beside her and grasped her hand.

"I hope to be soon," he said with a kiss to the back of her hand. Emma smirked and didn't offer a response, letting their joined hands swing between them.

As they approached the kitchen door, a soft sound from around the corner to the back yard caught Emma's attention.

"Did you hear that?" she asked Killian, who paused beside her to listen carefully. The sounds of the outdoors were all around them, birds calling, water splashing occasionally, the wind in the trees. But nothing other than that. "Guess it was nothing." She shrugged. Just as she made to open the door again, she heard it once more, a little louder. Her eyes darted to Killian's to confirm he had heard it to and his nodded brusquely. They went towards the corner of the house to investigate.

What she didn't expect to find was Elsa pressed up against the wall being basically devoured by Liam.

"Oh my god," she blurted out, clapping a hand over her mouth as the words escaped.

Elsa and Liam jumped apart, eyes wide and lips red from the heavy petting session she and Killian had just stumbled upon.

"Good morning," Killian said with a delighted grin.

"Uh, we were just… talking…" Elsa stammered out. Liam looked at her and nodded before looking back to his brother and Emma. Emma looked between the two of them and back again, glancing up to Killian to make sure she was really seeing what she was seeing. Sure, she knew there was some pretty significant heat between them, but she didn't expect to walk up on them necking like teenagers.

"I'm just- we should go," Emma said, flustered. Killian looped his arm around her waist and held her tight to his side. She squirmed, not uncomfortable at his proximity, but at being forced to face the sight before them.

"Secret trysts aren't so bad after all, eh, brother?" Killian said and Liam turned a beet shade of red as the the younger Jones turned, steering Emma back around the corner with a laugh.

It was hard to realize that the real world was waiting for them after the wonderful weekend they all had just had, but waiting it was, so they packed their things and said their goodbyes. The drive home was uneventful, besides Killian asking her at least a dozen times if she wanted him to come home with her. She declined each time, needing to put some distance between them before the wedding weekend after how close they had gotten.

Apparently, Killian was not on board with that notion and she saw him nearly every day leading up to the event. He would stop by in the morning with coffee, or come by with a movie and pizza (which Henry loved), he even faked a flat tire on the Jolly Roger to steal her away for lunch. And what was more, Emma was actually enjoying her time with him. Affection was free and frequent with Killian, a peck on the cheek to greet her, a stolen moment pressed up against the wall of an alley, a hand at the small of her back or laced with hers as they walked, but it never went beyond that. Killian didn't suggest it and Emma didn't either, both of them seemingly knowing that it would be too soon for that again. Emma was grateful for that, knowing they would be sharing a bed together again all too soon.

Before she knew it, it was Friday again, and they were pulling up to the hotel where they were staying and where the rehearsal dinner was being held. The wedding would be in a large church down the street, and then straight back here for the reception. Emma felt like she was going to throw up at the sight of the hotel as they pulled up at the valet in the Jolly Roger. They had taken Killian's car at his insistence when he had shown up at the apartment that morning to leave and Emma was shaking so bad she could barely fix herself a cup of coffee. Henry's eyes lit up excitedly when he saw the car. Of course he was already bouncing off the walls when Killian had arrived about the wedding, which did little for Emma's state of mind, but still put him in an easily excitable state. This was going to be a long, long weekend. Emma knew it would be, but it was different to stare the beast in its face.

And speaking of beasts, naturally it would be the case for Killian, Emma, and Henry to see Neal and Tamara speaking to the front desk as they walked in. Emma stiffened immediately. This would honestly be the longest point in time she had ever spent in the company of Neal's girlfriend. Killian sensed her apprehension and leaned down to whisper a brief "it's alright, love" into her ear and pressing a firm kiss against her hair before he guided her towards the happy couple's waiting gaze.

"Dad!" Henry cried out, dropping his small backpack on the floor and running towards his father, who stooped down on one knee to catch his son in a hug. Neal's eyes never left Killian through the motion, obviously sizing him up. Emma wondered if this wedding was going to be open bar.

"Hey, buddy!" he said as Henry collided with his chest and stood up with him in his arms giving an exaggerated groan. As soon as he set Henry back on his feet, Tamara stepped into his side, clearly staking her claim. Emma's nose wrinkled. She wouldn't have taken Neal back at this point if she was paid to.

"Hello, Henry. We missed you so much," she cooed to the boy, reaching down to cup his cheek. Emma wanted to punch her for touching her son, but she realized that would be highly irrational. Too many witnesses.

"Missed you guys, too," Henry chirped. "Mom brought my suit!" He turned back to his mother as if expecting her to present it.

"Killian's got it right now, kid. We will put it on tomorrow, like we talked about." She smiled down at her son as steadily as she could under the watchful eye of her ex. She kept the same slightly crazed looking smile on her face because it was honestly all she could muster when she looked up at Neal. "Hey, Neal, Tamara. Congratulations." she said, her voice getting tighter by the second. Killian put a comforting hand on her back, rubbing circles there.

"Thank you, Emma," Tamara said, like she was pleasantly surprised at Emma's words. It was entirely passive aggressive but Emma let it roll off her back, especially since she saw the way the brunette couldn't take her eyes off of Killian.

Yeah, drink it in, I upgraded, she thought unfavorably.

"Yeah, thanks, Ems. And you must be Kevin," Neal said and the flash of smugness that passed through his gaze told Emma the misstep was intentional.

"Neal, a pleasure. It's Killian, by the way," he said with an edge and reached out to shake the man's hand. Emma looked up and Killian's eyes were flashing dangerously. She could tell how agitated he was when he restricted his contact with the man as little as possible. He turned and politely shook Tamara's hand as well. "Tamara, congratulations," he said warmly.

"Thank you, Killian," she replied, seeming a little flustered. "I gotta go check on the catering for tonight, I will see you guys there in," she checked her watch, "two hours and thirty seven minutes." Giving Henry a little parting hair ruffle, and several (unnecessary) kisses to Neal, Tamara made her way back to the room on the side of the lobby.

"Tamara is a little busy today and tomorrow," Neal said. "But that's okay! Me and Henry can hang out for a little bit, what do you say, bud?" He gave Henry a few fakes air punches and Henry grinned.

"Yeah! Mom, can I?" He turned his big hazel puppy eyes on her.

"Yes, of course, kid. Go have fun with your dad. We will just be upstairs unpacking," Emma said. It was the first time Henry had gotten to see Neal in two weeks, and though he got to talk to him on the phone every night except that last weekend, Henry was certainly glad to be back in his father's presence. Emma would never deny her son his happiness as long as it was within reason. Unfortunately, Neal fell into that category, so she had to make nice. For Henry.

"It's good to see you again, Emma, you look good," Neal said as Henry latched onto his arm, starting to tug. She felt Killian's arm slip around her waist again immediately. "Killian, have a good time. She's a great girl."

Before Emma could respond, Henry was actively tugging him away. That didn't stop the roiling anger from rising up in his belly.

"So," Killian began, breaking the tension. "That was your ex."

"Yup," Emma replied, popping the P on the end and where was the damn bar in this place? They picked up their bags and Henry's forgotten backpack and made their way to the front desk to check in.

"Charming," he said flatly, a distasteful grunt accompanying the word. "That lass, would I know her from somewhere?" he asked, throwing Emma off.

"How would I know?" She looked at him, puzzled.

"I mean, would she have her picture somewhere, like on a realtor's sign, or an ad of some sort? Perhaps she's been on the telly?" he continued, a far off look in his eyes as if he was trying to remember something.

"No, she's a journalist or something. Maybe you read one of her articles?" Emma suggested as they waited in the short line to the desk.

"Maybe. I have the damndest feeling I know her from somewhere," he mused for a moment longer and Emma's heart sank.

Had Tamara been a client?

"I know what you're thinking, love, but I keep accurate records of all my clients, in case of… well, just in case. She definitely wasn't one of them." He pressed a reassuring kiss to her cheek.

"I believe you," she said, looking up at him. He smiled softly at her faith in him and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on her lips.

They checked in without trouble and took the elevator to their room in silence, Emma tucked into Killian's side the entire five floors, her head resting on his shoulder. It wasn't tense, but it wasn't comfortable. Neal getting married weighed heavily on her mind and she just couldn't shake it.

Once they reached the room, Killian dropped their bags immediately and pounced on Emma, seizing her lips in a fiery kiss and pushing her against the door.

His tongue probed at her lips until she opened for him and he drank her in. His kisses were firm, demanding, possessive, Emma had no idea where this came from, but they didn't really have the time. They had to get back downstairs soon.

"Killian, fuck, slow down," she gasped as he kissed down her neck, his lips and teeth worrying her skin already. "And don't you dare leave another mark. The other ones have barely healed. What's gotten into you?"

He pulled back, eyes lidded heavily, looking about halfway to gone already, and licked his lips.

"I'm just making sure that you've forgotten all about inferior men. And I won't leave another mark," he said, his eyes flicking back down to her neck briefly before meeting hers again. She narrowed her gaze at him.

"What did you do?" she asked, pushing him back away from her slightly. His hand came up to scratch behind his ear (which was pinkening swiftly along with its twin) and Emma ducked under his arm and walked towards the mirror in the bathroom. There, just above her collarbone at the curve of her neck, was a small chiclet sized red mark. Nothing like he'd given her before, but still noticeable. She could easily explain it away, but still.

She looked back at the sheepish man watching her carefully from the doorway and she felt her heart melting.

"The warning came a little too late, love. I'm sorry," he said, not looking sorry at all, but at least a little chastised. She smiled at him. How could she not, as he stood there looking so boyishly proud of himself for the mark on her skin. It may have been childish, wanting to mark her when he knew her ex would see, but maybe it served Neal right. And she couldn't deny how much the marks secretly turned her on.

"Let's just get ready to go," she said with a smirk, flipping her loose curls over her shoulder to expose the love bite even more and Killian grinned and followed her.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Annnnnnnd a double post! To make up for last week! Thanks for being patient guys! I really am sorry and I do appreciate you all!

Note: Here comes the painnnnnnn

 **Chapter 11**

The rehearsal dinner was packed with people. Neal and Tamara flitted around the room, Henry close to Neal's side, introducing him to Tamara's family. Neal's father was there as well, sending her the occasional distasteful glance across the room. They largely ignored each other though, only exchanging a polite greeting when they came face to face just the once. That was fine by Emma. She sat and watched as everyone in the room doted on her son, Killian sitting beside her running his thumb along the line of fabric at her exposed back where the purple dress she was wearing cut off, giving her silent comfort. Her remained by her side the whole night and she revelled in Neal's dark look when he spotted Killian's mark as Henry asked to stay with Neal and Tamara that night.

Neal didn't say anything to her about it, and barely said anything to Killian at all. Killian didn't seem to mind, and Emma wholeheartedly did not care what he thought anymore. Which was strange, considering how this all started. Tamara, it seemed, couldn't keep her eyes from Killian. It made her a little wary, considering Killian seemed to know her as well, but she brushed it off. She knew Killian was attractive, several of Tamara's cousins had already fed his ego when Emma stepped away to the bathroom, but he brushed everyone off politely, eyes only for her.

When they sat down and the toasts started, though, Emma could feel those old feelings of inadequacy and abandonment curling tight in her belly.

"I have to say," Robert Gold began after the clinking of glasses died off, "when my son told me he was to be married, I could not have been more thrilled for him. He and Henry, my grandson, are the most important people in my life, and I have always made it a point to let Neal know how loved and appreciated he is."

Emma suppressed an angry snort, but said nothing. Killian laid a comforting hand on her knee.

"Because he knows how important he is to me, I thought I'd take this opportunity to sing Tamara's praises instead," he continued and several "aww" sounds made their way around the room. "There is nothing more important than family, and as of tomorrow, you will be a part of ours. Neal and Henry's family has finally found the piece it was missing in you."

Killian gently moved his hand to Emma's unfurling it from the napkin she had clenched tightly in her fist, drawing her attention away. She blinked up at him as he laced their fingers together and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand, his eyes reassuring hers through the motion. She gave him a weak smile and relaxed slightly.

"It is a shame we never got to meet Tamara's parents, and I've heard many of you share fond stories of them throughout the evening. We know they are here in spirit," he said, and a murmurs of fond agreement broke out amongst the guests. "I wanted to let you know that as of tomorrow, I consider you a daughter as well, because that is exactly what you will be when you and Neal join in matrimony. The daughter I always wanted. To the happy couple," he said and lifted his glass to a rousing cheer and everyone drank, Gold giving her a sidelong glance over the rim of his glass. She wanted to throw up. Or run away. Or both.

Killian squeezed Emma's hand slightly and she looked to him once more as he unclasped them and shook out his hand from her tight grip with a teasing smirk. She gave him an apologetic smile, not realizing until that moment exactly how tight her grip had been around him, but she could clearly see the crescent marks in his skin from where her nails had almost pierced through it.

"That's a hell of a grip, Swan," he murmured low in her ear and slung his arm over the back of her chair. She leaned into his embrace, silently grateful he was there with her. The toasts went on, and everybody talked more about how wonderful Tamara and Neal were together and by the time everyone had filed out of the space, she was exhausted from all the emotional turmoil. Of course no one would speak about how they met, or the way their relationship came to be. No one mentioned Emma at all, not even as Henry's mother. It shouldn't have bothered her as much as it did, none of this was about her, but she couldn't help but feel like Neal was getting everything he ever wanted and she was still that lost lonely girl he left behind.

And then Killian smiled at her, and suddenly, she wasn't that girl anymore. She was a woman. A mother. A friend, a sister, a damn good PI, a whole lot of other things, but Neal hadn't broken her completely. Killian gave her hope for a better future, one where she wasn't so caught up in the past. While the doubts and insecurities still niggled at the back of her mind, they didn't have the control they had held so heavily over her for the last almost fourteen months. Hell, probably even longer than that. When they reached their room, Killian seemed intent on making sure she knew that she was special, cherished, and maybe something else that he'd said before, but Emma didn't want to think about right now.

Not while his hands were tracing over the skin of her bare arms, easing the strap of her dress down her shoulder to free a path for his lips. His movements were slow, intent, even reverent over her skin, slowly stoking the fire within her. Her head fell back against his shoulder where he stood behind her, humming low in her throat and letting her eyes fall closed as he eased her zipper down her back and let the plum colored fabric pool at her feet, placing more soft kisses against the side of her neck. He grasped her lightly on the shoulders and turned her, desire seeping into his gaze as he roamed the sight of her standing before him in lacy black matching underwear and silver heels. He let out a shuddering breath and reached up to delicately trace the edge of her bra, making Emma shiver.

"Is this for me?" he asked meeting her eyes and she nodded with a shy smile. "Ravishing," he complimented and dipped his head to kiss along the swell of her breasts. His hands never stilled over her flesh, pressing and kneading before slipping behind her to undo her bra and let it drop to the floor. He pressed a tender kiss to the mark he had left earlier that evening and then leaned down to suck a nipple into his mouth. Her head dropped back, the long strands of her hair dusting the tops of her thighs as her back arched, her weight supported by killians hands on her lower back. He kissed his way from one breast to the other and back again, making sure to worship them both equally.

Emma was on fire by the time his hands slipped down to her hips and pushed the fabric of her lacy panties to the floor. He immediately dipped a finger in the apex of her thighs, growling low in his chest at the wetness he found. Emma gasped at the contact and grabbed his still clothed shoulders to anchor herself.

"Is this for me, too?" he asked, eyes dark and wanting as he sucked the evidence of her arousal from his finger.

"Yes," she breathed out desperately, eager for more contact.

"Good," he said simply and crushed his mouth to hers in a searing kiss. His tongue probed and curled around hers, lips sealed tightly together. Emma tried to draw breath through her nose to maintain contact as long as possible, her arms now looped around his neck. They broke apart gasping as he picked her up by the waist and moved her back to the bed. He laid her down gently and stepped away, tugging his shirt from where it was tucked into his pants with one hand and beginning to unbutton it with the other. Emma kicked off her shoes, not caring where they fell and watched him as he exposed his chest and abs to her hungry gaze. When he pulled his belt from the loops and unbuttoned his pants, Emma's hand slipped up her ribs to grasp one of her breasts in her hand, kneading softly. Killian let out a feral growl and pushed his pants the rest of the way down, stepping out of them and his shoes quickly and laid himself over her body in nothing but his rapidly tightening boxer briefs and socks. He kissed her hard, shooing her hand away and replacing it with his own. He looked up at her after one parting kiss to her lips before beginning a trail of them down her body. She was fully aware of his destination and her body tensed, not in fear this time, but in anticipation. He sent her a cheeky wink before delving straight into her core with his lips and tongue, and she was sent flying. He lapped at her like he'd never get enough, scooping his hands under her thighs and holding here hips firmly in place, his tongue swirling and dipping and lips sucking and pulling at every atom of her being, or so it seemed. Emma fell in an explosion of light behind her eyes, and she vaguely heard someone scream, before realizing it was her as she came back to herself.

Killian pushed off the remainder of his clothes quickly, snagging a condom from his bag nearby as he did as she floated down from her high. The fact that he was well prepared this time did not escape her, even in her haze. She propped herself on her elbows, watching him roll on the latex sheath and when he met her eyes, she smirked and crooked a finger at him. His eyes sparkled and he practically dove at her, pushing her back into the mattress and making her laugh out loud.

"You are a goddess, Swan. Or perhaps a siren, meant to lead me to my death," he panted against her lips before stealing the air from her lungs with another kiss. "I will die a happy man," he declared and whatever reply she may have had was lost in the long moan she let out as he filled her. He rocked his hips experimentally, and when she rose up to meet him, he held nothing back. She couldn't contain the pleas and moans pouring from her mouth and he seemed to make it his aim to hear more of them. He nipped at her neck and shoulder, hopefully not making too noticeable of marks since she didn't have Ruby's makeup expertise on hand this time. Her hands grasped into his back and shoulders as he rose above her again and again, stealing kisses from her mouth and wherever else landed under his lips.

"Let me hear you, love, it's just us. God, you sound amazing when you sing for me," he said low in her ear, giving her an especially hard thrust on the last word, making her yelp in pleasure. "Aye, love, just like that, just like that, oh…" he trailed off into moans of his own and Emma could tell he was getting close as well. She wriggled a hand between them and found her clit, rubbing at it and grazing the place where they were joined. He gasped as her fingers skimmed the base of his cock as he withdrew and began thrusting into her even harder, making the headboard shake and rattle with each movement.

"Yes, Emma, God yes, take us there, so beautiful, amazing, you feel so fucking good," his praise was a constant stream in her ear as she drove higher and higher up that peak until the coil inside of her snapped and she was coming hard. Spots floated through her vision as she called out Killian's name and he followed with a growl of hers a moment later. He rolled to the side, slipping out of her but holding her tightly to his body, his face buried in the crook of her neck. She idly carded her fingers through his hair and ran them down his back soothingly as they lay in silence, their bodies calming. He took a moment to dispose of the condom and bring back a washcloth for her before slipping in the bed and spooning her pliant body. His arms were wrapped around her and all Emma could think was how she could get used to this.

A sting of sadness pricked her heart when she realized that after tomorrow, this could all end. Killian had no obligation to her, and she none to him. She hadn't really counted on it getting this far. She wouldn't use the "L" word, she was nowhere near ready for that, but there was something here, and she was pretty sure Killian felt it too. And it scared her, the thought of losing him, yes, but also the thought of him staying, having to be accountable to another person, to build something up from the ground up again, it was terrifying.

"I can hear you thinking, Swan," he mumbled into the crown of her head, pressing a kiss there. She tucked her chin to her chest and snuggled into him further with a hum of acknowledgement.

It was silent for a moment longer as they both continued to bask in the afterglow before he spoke again.

"I meant it," he murmured into her hair as he held her from behind.

"Hmm?" She was confused, and she looked up slightly over her shoulder, but couldn't see him.

"What I said at the lake," he said, fingering a lock of her hair on her shoulder before sliding the knuckle down over her side. "My answer during truth or dare. What I said about you, I meant it."

She rolled over to look him in the face, eyes wide in… alarm? Anticipation?

"I really don't know when it happened, love, that part was true as well. But I do. I love you so bloody much I can't scarcely breathe sometimes." His eyes shone with unshed tears of emotion and Emma's mind went from undecided straight past fear into fucking terrified. Suddenly the room was too hot, his embrace too tight. The walls were closing in and she needed to get the hell out of there and fast.

"I gotta…" she started but she couldn't settle on a good excuse so she pushed herself from his arms, grabbing her pj shorts and a t-shirt and putting them on quickly.

"Swan, wait, are you leaving?" Killian's voice sounded panicked. It had thrown the both of them how quickly she changed gears from euphoric to sheer panic. "Don't leave, Emma, we don't have to talk about it anymore. Forget it. It never happened." He was standing now, the sheet clutched around his waist, reaching for her arm. She wrenched away like she'd been burned.

"No, no, no, no, no. You can't say that and pretend it didn't happen. I just… I just need a little space. To process. I just need a minute," she rambled, pleading into Killian's eyes with her own. She wasn't there yet. Love had brought her nothing but pain and heartbreak, and the overwhelming need to run away from it took root before she could stop it. He tried to keep his expression neutral, but he couldn't hide the pain in his eyes. He nodded with a strained smile. She nodded back and made for the door.

"Just… promise me you'll come back. Please." He reached out once more like he might touch her, but didn't.

Emma felt shame sweep over her like a wildfire, but it couldn't trump the overwhelming panic in her gut. So she smiled as softly as she could manage and whispered "I promise."

She didn't know where she planned to go in her bare feet. She didn't have a car, and she doubted a place like this would serve her a drink in her attire. It was late now and the hotel was quiet. She wandered into the lobby and sat on one of the couches there in a corner away from the main part of the room, letting her head fall heavily into her hands. The room was large, empty, a good place for her to get herself in check. Even the desk clerk was gone, a bell sitting on the counter with a sign that said "Please ring for service".

"You okay, Ems?"

The last voice she wanted to hear in that moment had filtered into her space and she stiffened, her head popping up to meet Neal's concerned brown eyes.

"Yeah, I'm great. Just couldn't sleep. Is Henry out?" she asked, changing the subject from herself. Neal pulled at the tie around his neck that he still wore from dinner earlier, loosening it and sitting next to her with a groan.

"Yeah. Out like a light. He's an easy kid. Well, you know," he said nudging her shoulder with his own. She gave him a small smile in response. "I know tonight wasn't easy for you Emma, but thank you for taking it all in stride." His words surprised her and she blinked at him in stunned silence.

"Uh, no, it wasn't that bad, really. All okay here," she said once she remembered to use her voice, a nervous laugh betraying her inner conflict sneaking out on her.

"It wasn't bad," he agreed. "But it still had to be hard on you. I'm sorry for the stuff Dad said, too. I didn't know he was going to do that. I'm sorry for… for a lot of things, Ems." The sincerity in his voice was cracking her heart open all over again. She had waited so long to hear these things from him that she thought they would never come. Certainly not when it was too late. But he was being honest, finally reaching out to move on as an adult, and she couldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Thank you, Neal. That means a lot to me," she said and flopped back into the cushions with a sigh. "Where did it all go wrong?" she mused.

"I don't know, to be honest. I made a lot of mistakes. Neither of us were perfect, but we were happy once, weren't we?" he asked, turning to face her. Emma nodded.

"We were. I was, at least. Maybe we just drifted apart. I'll always care for you. You gave me some great memories in between the not so great. You gave me Henry," she said with a soft smile.

"Hm, yeah and look at us now," he said. "You looked great tonight, by the way. That purple brought out your eyes." He chuffed her under the chin and she laughed.

"Thanks," she said, scooching to face him as well, folding a leg underneath her. "You looked great, too, before you wrinkled your suit all up." She smoothed down the lapel of his jacket briskly and he chuckled. He looked at her again and something in his expression changed.

"You were always beautiful to me, Ems. I miss you a lot, you know," he said and suddenly Emma was on alert. She straightened and gave him a wary look.

"Well, I mean, you left…" she replied a little lamely, searching for the words to respond. Before she could fully process what he was doing, he was reaching up to cup her cheek and his lips pressed against hers. It took a moment for her to realize that he was actually kissing her, but when she caught up with herself, she ripped herself away and stood, slapping him hard across the face.

"Okay, damn! My bad, my bad, I misread the situation," he said, standing and rubbing at his cheek.

"Misread the situation?!" she nearly screeched and he immediately shushed her, which was like throwing gasoline into a bonfire. "What situation, Neal? We were just talking about how we weren't together anymore!"

"I know! We were reminiscing, I told you that I missed you, I thought, you know, maybe for old times sake…" he trailed off and Emma knew exactly what he had been thinking.

"I cannot believe you, Neal. The night before your wedding, you pig? You have done a lot of damage, buddy, but this takes the cake. You are getting married tomorrow. To a woman you cheated on me with. And I have a boyfriend! An amazing boyfriend who fucking loves me but what did I do when he told me that? I ran away from him! Because you left me so fucking broken that I panicked because love would leave me broken again and I wasn't sure if I could handle that more than once. Why would I ever think to do something rational like tell him I love him, too?" The realization hit Emma like a ton of bricks and Neal's stuttered attempts to quiet her rapidly rising voice faded into the background. "I love him, too," she repeated in wonder, eyes unfocused, trying to remember when it had happened.

"Well, maybe you'll actually show him this time, instead of leaving him wondering like you did me," Neal said bitterly and Emma's eyes snapped back to his.

"Neal, I suggest if you don't want a black eye for your wedding pictures tomorrow, you go back upstairs to your fiancée and forget this ever happened. I have somewhere I need to be," she said and brushed straight past him without another word.

She rounded the corner quickly, her heels skidding on the carpet in her haste, but she had to get to Killian. She had to tell him how she felt. It had only been a month, but she was tired of running from her feelings, and Killian had awoken sensations in her that she hadn't been ready to name this early in the game, but she knew one thing: she sure as hell didn't want to lose him. She loved him. She didn't want to let this go.

Carpe diem, I guess, she thought to herself as she approached her room. As she dug out her keycard that she'd grabbed from the dresser before she left from her shorts pocket, voices on the other side of the door caught her attention. She knew Killian was in there, but there was definitely more than one voice and that left her puzzled.

Quietly, she slipped the card into the slot and cracked open the door just in time to see Tamara slipping a bulging white envelope into Killian's sweat pants pocket, patting it into place and smoothing his shirt out.

"That's for your discretion," she murmured.

Emma's heart shattered into a thousand pieces and she felt a lump rising rapidly in her throat. As silently as she was currently capable of, she closed the door to the room and turned on her heel, stalking back down the hallway opposite from where she came.

How could she have been so stupid?


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Hey all! It's Friday and this is the last formal chapter of this fic! You may have noticed though that final chapter count has gone up and that's because there is also an epilogue coming! I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to this little story and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and what's to come. Thank you so so much to @superchocovian who was my fantastic beta for this. I've said it before but she came into this expecting to beta a little oneshot and it ended up becoming this huge monster that she didn't even get an eye at the length of. She really was amazing through this whole process. And thank you to @artistic-writer, my second set of eyes on this, smut guru, and fabulous artist for all the gorgeous photosets that accompanied this fic. And thank you to everyone who loves this fic and reads it still for going on this crazy little journey with me. I appreciate all of your reviews, reblogs, and love more than y'all know! And here we go!

 **Chapter 12**

Emma rounded the corner just past their room towards the stairwell and pressed herself against the wall, chest heaving with barely contained sobs. Moments later, she heard the door open and shut. She waited and peeked around the corner to see her walking down the hall swiftly in the opposite direction where the elevators were. She clapped a hand over her mouth just in time to suppress a sob and retreated back around the corner again, sliding down the wall as two fat tears rolled from each of her eyes.

When the tears stopped flowing as heavily, Emma had made up her mind. Men were all the same. This was just a job for him, the things he said to her apparently just part of a sick game. He needed to leave. Right now. She was better off alone.

"Swan, I'm so glad you're back, love. You won't believe- wait, what are you doing?" Killian said hurriedly as she entered the room, letting the door shut firmly behind her. His eyes caught up with his brain and he watched her stalking through the room, a stern expression on her tear stained face. Her arms were full of his toiletries, retrieved from the bathroom on her way in, and she dumped them into his suitcase. She went to the dresser next, not giving him an answer, and began to pull his clothes from his drawer.

"Whoa, whoa, wait, love, what's going on?" he asked, stepping forward and grabbing her by the shoulders. She sidestepped him and piled his clothes in the bag.

"You're leaving," she said simply. "Contract fulfilled. I'll drop off the remainder of your payment on Monday."

"What? Swan, no, I don't bloody want to leave. What's brought all this on? Is this because I told you I'm in love with you?" he followed her as she dug the rest of his clothes from the dresser and put them into the case. She paused and squeezed her eyes shut, taking a deep breath.

"I understand you need money Killian, but you could have waited until our arrangement was over. And Tamara? Of all people?" she hated the stutter in her inhale as she fight back tears again. Killian's eyes widened in realization.

"Emma, no," he said in horror. "Bloody hell, no! I don't know what you saw but I can promise you, it was not as it seemed. You have to believe me, love. I was just going to tell you what happened right as you came in!"

"Oh, don't give me that shit," she spat, fury and heartbreak radiating from her. "You really had me going with the sweet nothings and the declaration of love. That was a low blow, by the way." She wagged a finger at him and sniffed sharply. "I fell for all of that, but you're not going to tell me that I didn't see Tamara in here stuffing a wad of hush money in your pocket! Get out!" She was almost yelling now, not caring in the slightest if anyone could hear. He gaped at her.

"Emma, you have to let me explain. It was hush money, Swan. But not in the way you thought. And I didn't take it," he insisted.

"Bullshit, Killian, I saw you take it. She must have some magical lady parts or something. Or she's just hellbent on never allowing me to love anyone ever. Either way, I should've known better. It's my fault, really," she said, clicking the highest of her walls back into place and zipping his bag. She drug it to the door and scooped up his shoes along the way.

"Did you just say love? You're in love with me?" Killian asked, jubilant surprise painting his words. Emma's eyes widened when she realized what she'd said.

"It was a figure of speech, a- a- a metaphor. I didn't actually mean love. I mean, we've only known each other for a month, and besides, none of this is real. You're a hooker, and I'm just the idiot who paid you to be here." She spun around and opened the door, pushing his baggage into the hallway and tossing his shoes on top.

"Fucking hell, Swan, stop this! I am telling you the truth!" he exclaimed as quietly as he could as he marched into the hallway, intent on retrieving his things. Emma was quicker though and shut the door behind him locking him out.

"Maybe you can stay with her and Neal. You all seem to have a lot in common," she suggested through the door.

Knocking sounded immediately, insistently but quiet enough not to disturb the neighbors.

"Swan, please let me in. Please talk to me," he begged, voice only slightly muffled by the door. She ignored him, retrieving her headphones from her bag and laying down. She put them in, drowning out the sounds of knocking and pleading, and cried herself to sleep.

He was gone when she woke up, as she confirmed with a peek out of the door when her alarm went off. She changed quickly and went to retrieve her son from his father's room. She kept her tone curt but polite when dealing with Neal and (thankfully) Tamara was already gone or she would have scratched her eyes out on the spot, she was sure.

The wedding was beautiful, what she could remember of it. It all went by in a blur. The flower arrangements and decor screamed money at her and she just knew Neal's dad paid for all of it. She sat stoically in the back of the church. It felt like she was in a trance, numb to everything and everyone around her, except Henry. He was all that mattered. He was the only man she would ever need in her life. It took everything in her body not to jump out of her seat as Tamara's smiling face appeared at the end of the aisle and began her walk down to Neal, but somehow, probably through the crippling heartbreak she was experiencing, she managed to keep her cool. She sat stone faced through all the sickeningly sweet vows. She didn't flinch at the ring exchange and the kiss that sealed their union. She didn't dance at the reception. She didn't partake in any of the post wedding activities. The happy couple danced and ate and talked merrily with everyone but her. She had no one there. She was alone again.

Three days passed, and Emma tried to get back to some semblance of normal. Killian hadn't shown up at her home or at her work, for which she was grateful for and hurt by all at once, but she took it with a grain of salt. He did, however, call her and text her incessantly until she blocked his number. She ignored everyone else's calls and texts as well. Elsa was visiting her sister, who had just had her baby that weekend, or she was sure she would have broken down her door by now.

And speaking of breaking down her door, she was now rushing to the pounding that emanated into her apartment from the entryway, praying that whoever it was didn't wake Henry.

"You look like shit," Ruby said bluntly only a moment after Emma flung the door open to give whoever this was at 9:30 at night a piece of her mind. She blinked twice as Ruby pushed her way past the door in typical Ruby style, followed by Elsa (who was clearly back from visiting Anna; that must have been one of the messages she ignored oops) and, of course, Mary Margaret.

"Ruby," Mary Margaret admonished. "You look fine, Emma. I'm sorry we're stopping by so late, but we are worried about you!" She still hadn't responded and she felt her walls already crumbling as her sister-in-law wrapped her in a tight hug.

"You didn't even answer your phone, you never do that," Elsa chipped in, taking a seat on the couch.

"Yeah, so spill," Ruby said, flopping next to Elsa and kicking her feet up on the coffee table. Mary Margaret gently guided her to the chair nearby and sat her down in it, leaving immediately to the kitchen to get a glass of water for her.

"I'm fine," Emma said stubbornly.

"Bullshit," Ruby snapped, the swear coming out harsher than she was sure she intended it. "You look like you've been punched in the face with your eyes that swollen, so clearly you've been crying for days. Your boyfriend has been to Granny's two days in a row but he won't talk to me either. I can't make him talk, but I can make you," she threatened. Emma rolled her eyes and fixed them back on the nail she was currently picking at on her thumb.

"Emma, what happened, honey?" Mary Margaret reappeared and placed the glass in her hand, dragging the ottoman closer to sit next to her.

"Don't you think if I was ready to talk about it, I would have called you? Or at least answered one of your seven hundred calls?" Emma said, her voice catching on the last word. She sucked in a shaky breath, feeling her eyes impossibly fill with tears again.

"We didn't know what to think," Elsa offered softly. "Did something happen with Killian?"

Hearing his name was all it took for the dam to break, and she buried her face in her hands as the tears spilled over and a sob wrenched from her chest. In an instant, her friends were beside her, laying reassuring hands on her legs and arms.

"I was so stupid," she whispered.

"I'm sure it's not that bad," Mary Margaret said soothingly. "You guys seemed so happy at the lake!"

"It was all fake. None of it was real," she choked out.

"Those hickeys looked real enough to me," Ruby piped in and Emma glared at her. Elsa shushed her loudly.

"No, I mean it. I hired him. It was fake. He was never with me. I lied," she said and the women all stared at her, stunned.

"What the actual fuck?" Ruby said after a minute.

"Ruby!" Mary Margaret scolded. "I'm sure there's an explanation. Right, Emma?"

"Yeah, but you're not going to like it," Emma said and it all came pouring out. "He's… a male escort. I met him in a bar while Henry was with Neal and he hit on me. I just didn't want to go to Neal's wedding alone, but then I made the mistake of taking him to Granny's that day," she glanced guiltily at Ruby, "and it kinda spiralled out of control from there. What's worse is he told me he loved me, and I thought I was falling for him, too, after a while. But it was all a lie. I caught him with Tamara after the rehearsal dinner and she was paying him. Right after he had slept with me and told me he loved me. I was getting some air and processing some things, when Neal kissed me and I realized how I felt about Killian, too, but he was with her. It was a game. A sick joke." She sobbed audibly and pressed the back of her hand to her mouth.

"Wait, Neal kissed you?" Ruby asked incredulously.

"That's what you got from all of that?" Emma retorted, just as disbelieving.

"Yeah, yeah, hot male hooker, lying to all your friends, I'm caught up on that, and super pissed, don't get me wrong, but fuck Neal right in the face. And fuck Tamara, too." Ruby was furious with the whole situation.

"Does Liam know?" Elsa asked quietly and Emma shook her head.

"No, and please don't tell him. Killian might be an asshole, but no one deserves to lose their family," she said. Elsa nodded softly.

"Okay, so, you lied. And hired a… an escort…" Mary Margaret said with a blush. "And those are bad things, but not so bad that we would hold it against you. I know, we all know how hard love comes for you. And that's what's important here. You can say it was a game, or a mistake, but I'm telling you Emma, that man was in love with you. I heard it in the things he said, saw it in the things he did, and the way he looked at you. And you love him, too. Love… love is strength. And it's absolutely worth fighting for."

"I know what I saw, Mary Margaret," Emma said gruffly. "And it was inexcusable."

"Maybe it was something else. There are two sides to every story. Don't be so quick to villainize someone when you don't have all the facts, Emma. Maybe, just talk to him and see where it goes," Elsa said gently and Emma furrowed her brow.

"I just want to let it go. That's all," she murmured.

"Well at least come in to the diner and tell him to stop moping up the place. It's depressing," Ruby said. Emma sighed heavily.

"You guys aren't going to let this go, are you?" Emma said with a sigh.

"Nope," Ruby replied, popping the P on the end and hoisting herself to standing. "Anywho, I have breakfast shift tomorrow, and it's getting late. We just wanted to make sure you were alive."

"We really should get going," Mary Margaret agreed reluctantly.

"I'll stay here tonight and we can go to the diner in the morning, how does that sound?" Elsa said.

"Like literal hell," Emma snarked and Elsa tutted. "Not the you staying part, but the diner….part…"

"Good," Ruby said and planted a cherry red kiss on her cheek. "I love ya, girl. We all do. And we want what's best for you. I'll see you in the morning."

Morning came too quickly and Elsa was bundling her and Henry into clothes and out the door Mary Margaret style by nine a.m. Emma was a ball of nerves the whole ride to the diner, Elsa insisting on driving her so she couldn't change her mind. She wasn't ready for this. She didn't know how to act with someone after a breakup, her only experience with this sort of thing being with Neal, the bastard, and look how that turned out. She resolved that it was still over between them, but she could at least get him to stop going to the diner. That's all this was.

She repeated that thought in her head over and over as Elsa marched her and Henry up the sidewalk. He was waiting outside at a table, stirring a cup of tea absently, but not drinking it. He looked up and his eyes locked to hers, making all thoughts fly from her mind.

He looked terrible, like he hadn't slept in days. His beard had grown out past its regular scruff, but his eyes lit up the second they had found hers.

"Swan," he breathed and stood up, banging his knee on the table. He broke eye contact briefly to save his tea, but set his eyes back on her as soon as he could.

"Hi, Killian!" Henry said cheerfully and Emma froze as his eyes landed on her son.

"Hello, lad, how have you been?" he said with a tremulous smile.

"I'm good. Why do you and Mom look so sad? Mom's been crying a lot," he told him freely and Emma felt like she could melt into the sidewalk. Killian looked like someone had stabbed him, but he still managed to give Henry a kind smile.

"Why don't we see if Aunt Ruby and Granny have some hot chocolate they can spare?" Elsa said and promptly steered the small boy towards the restaurant, leaving Emma and Killian alone.

"I tried to call," he began.

"I got them," Emma cut him off. He nodded and they stood in silence for a moment.

"I've missed you," he tried again softly, holding her gaze.

"Heard that before. Look, Killian, I'm only here to tell you to stop hanging around here. Ruby said you've been here every day," Emma said and Killian nodded again.

"I didn't think it was appropriate to come to your home or work, in case you had Henry with you," he said. "Swan, I promise, I will leave, and never return if you wished it, I just wanted a chance to explain. And to give you this." He held out an envelope that she recognized as the one she had given his money to him in almost a month ago. It looked rumpled, like it had been hidden away for a month, but otherwise completely untouched.

"What could you possibly think I would want to hear from you now?" she said, snatching the envelope from his hand, and dammit, she was not going to cry. He stared at her a moment longer, seemingly trying to find the words to say. Emma huffed and started to walk inside.

"She's an escort," he blurted, stopping Emma in her tracks. She spun on her heel and looked at him with wide eyes. He took a step forward. "That's where I knew her from. Tamara used to be Jade, which I know now was a pseudonym. She worked for an agency I used for a while. She recognized me immediately when we met and assumed I had her as well. The money was to buy my silence, but I swear on my mother's grave, I returned it as soon as she put it in my pocket."

"What?" Emma asked, and if she would have been struck by lightning at that moment, she didn't think she would have been any more surprised than she was right that second.

"It's true. I knew I recognized her from somewhere. Love, I have never told you a lie, in all of our time together. You are probably the only one I've never lied to in the last few years. I can prove it," he said earnestly. There was a war raging in Emma's brain now as he dug a paper from his back pocket and thrust it at Emma. She took it tentatively and opened it. It was a flyer.

"'Your deepest fantasies come to life, private entertainment options available'," she read aloud, her voice shaking. There were several thumbnail pictures of different women adorning the front and down at the bottom, hair teased into an afro, was Tamara's face staring back at her.

"As soon as I realized who she was and you'd thrown me out, I went to Regina, the madam I worked with, and she had this on file still. Emma, please believe me, love," he said, his voice strained with the effort of holding back his emotions as well. She blinked up at him, not quite believing what she was seeing. She believed him, of course, how could she not with the truth staring her in the face. She looked back up to him, her face burning with shame and sorrow. He stepped closer to her once again and took her hand in his. Electricity jolted through her at the contact, and it was like she could feel again after being numb for days. "And I've told Liam everything. I'm done with this life, Emma. I've spoken to Jefferson, and he is going to start me on as a bartender this weekend. I wanted to be a better man for you. A better man for myself. I regret many things I've done, but losing you, I regret the most." Emma's tears were rolling freely down her cheeks now.

"You told your brother?" she asked.

"Aye," he chuckled. "He, uh, took it better than I expected. But he did smack me in the back of the head a few times. And then a few times more when I told him how I'd mucked things up with you."

"Killian, you didn't, that was me and I… you don't know how sorry I am about all of this," she started and he couldn't hold himself back any longer, sweeping her into his arms and cradling her head to his chest. "Wait, what about your brother's medical bills? It's going to be hard to pay those off now, won't it?" she asked, looking up at him and taking a small step back, feeling the loss immediately. Killian reached up and scratched behind his ear.

"Not if you have something of value to sell…" he replied evasively.

"And what would that be?" she asked, curiously.

"Why, the Jewel of the Realm, of course." He smiled, but she could tell it had hurt him to sell the ship that meant so much to him and his brother.

"You traded your ship for me?" she whispered.

"Aye," he said solemnly and before Emma knew what she was doing, she was pulling him down into a earth shattering kiss. Holding her close, like she was breakable, precious, his hand slipped through the strands of her hair as they kissed and kissed and kissed. His hand slid around the edge of her jaw, the other arm looping around her waist, and he thumbed at the cleft in her chin. He pulled back and Emma paused, looking up at him to see why he had done so. His eyes were searching her face, looking down on her with a love so fierce that she couldn't help but smile at him. He smiled back, a little half twitch of his lips, before he dove back in, kissing her fiercer than before. His hands drifted up into her hair again, angling her head to kiss her deeper, and hers slipped around his waist.

"Yay!" a small voice exclaimed from behind them and Emma looked back over her shoulder to where her son was now standing with Ruby, Elsa, Granny, and of course a crying Mary Margaret. Emma laughed and buried her face in Killian's chest, feeling the rumble of his laugh there as well.

"It seems we have a cheering section, love," he murmured, placing a kiss on her head.

"Are you sure you wanna still stick around?" she asked, her voice teasing.

"For as long as you'll have me, Swan. I love you so much," he said.

"I love you, too, Killian," she said and he grinned, placing another kiss on her lips.

"Quit scarring the neighborhood, you two, and get inside. I've got your orders in already," Granny said with false irritation, given away immediately by the smile she tried to suppress, and went back inside. The rest of them followed, laughing and talking with one another.

It wasn't perfect, their story. Certainly no fairy tale. But it was real and it was theirs. As Emma met Killian's gaze as he held the door open to the diner and their future, she knew that was more than enough.


End file.
